Sainthia train collision
Encyclopedia
The Sainthia train collision occurred on July 19, 2010, at Sainthia
railway station in West Bengal
, India
, when the Uttar Banga Express collided with the Vananchal Express as it was leaving the platform. 66 people died as a result of the accident, and 165 people were reported injured.
) when the Uttar Banga Express, travelling from New Cooch Behar
to Sealdah, hit the Bhagalpur
–Ranchi
Vananchal Express which was just leaving Sainthia railway station. The impact destroyed the three rear compartments of the Vananchal Express.
Injured people were sent to hospitals in Sainthia and Suri. A need for much faster response to such accidents has been expressed by the Home Minister.
Sainthia railway station was a scheduled stop for the express, but the train is believed to have passed over a bridge before the accident at three times the line speed. The crew had taken charge of the train at Malda five hours before the accident, and had appeared fit and well to station staff during a previous unscheduled stop at Gadadharpur, ahead of the accident site.
The signalman in-charge at the station claimed to have heard the station master trying to alert the driver of the Uttar Banga Express via walkie-talkie
, but got no response.
The enquiry has found no fault with the train's brakes although, the guard, when questioned said that he had applied the emergency brake after the driver did not respond to him on the walkie-talkie, but the brake failed. Also there was no signal failure, the approach signal was red. Probable causal factors found are the drugging of the drivers and not setting a diversion route when the Vananchal Express was standing at the platform. It was too late to operate points and divert the train when the Uttar Banga Express was seen.
The driver of the Vananchal Express, said that “even though the green signal was given at 1.54am, we could start the train only at 2.01am because we had not received any signal from the guard”.
500,000 for the dead, 100,000 for the seriously injured, and Rs 25,000 for minor injuries.
Sainthia
Sainthia is a town and a municipality in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The town is famous for Nandikeshwari Temple, one of the Shakti Peethas in India.-Geography:...
railway station in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, when the Uttar Banga Express collided with the Vananchal Express as it was leaving the platform. 66 people died as a result of the accident, and 165 people were reported injured.
Collision
The collision occurred 191 km from Howrah at (ISTIndian Standard Time
Indian Standard Time is the time observed throughout India and Sri Lanka, with a time offset of UTC+05:30. India does not observe daylight saving time or other seasonal adjustments, although DST was used briefly during the Sino–Indian War of 1962 and the Indo–Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971...
) when the Uttar Banga Express, travelling from New Cooch Behar
New Cooch Behar
New Cooch Behar is an important station in the Northeast Frontier Railway. It is situated almost 5 km from the heart of Cooch Behar town....
to Sealdah, hit the Bhagalpur
Bhagalpur
Bhagdattpuram was one of the most influential towns in "Aryavarta" . It is supposed to have been concurrent to Patliputra or Patna. Bhagdattpuram finds its mention in the Vedas and Ramayana as well. It is supposed to be the kingdom of Daanvir Karna, the son of Kunti and the Sun God...
–Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
Vananchal Express which was just leaving Sainthia railway station. The impact destroyed the three rear compartments of the Vananchal Express.
Injured people were sent to hospitals in Sainthia and Suri. A need for much faster response to such accidents has been expressed by the Home Minister.
Investigation
Railway officials initially described how there may have been something wrong with the drivers of the Uttar Banga Express, detailing how the train had passed through a red signal at high speed, with no evidence of a brake application and with no apparent attempt by the driver or co-driver to jump clear of the train cab before the collision. Both were found dead in the wreckage, still in their seats. The possibility of the two drivers of Uttar Banga Express being drugged had triggered alarm in the railways. However, the post mortem of the drivers at the Suri hospital did not show any evidence of drugs. As a precaution, drivers and guards have been asked not to buy any food or drink at stations.Sainthia railway station was a scheduled stop for the express, but the train is believed to have passed over a bridge before the accident at three times the line speed. The crew had taken charge of the train at Malda five hours before the accident, and had appeared fit and well to station staff during a previous unscheduled stop at Gadadharpur, ahead of the accident site.
The signalman in-charge at the station claimed to have heard the station master trying to alert the driver of the Uttar Banga Express via walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
, but got no response.
The enquiry has found no fault with the train's brakes although, the guard, when questioned said that he had applied the emergency brake after the driver did not respond to him on the walkie-talkie, but the brake failed. Also there was no signal failure, the approach signal was red. Probable causal factors found are the drugging of the drivers and not setting a diversion route when the Vananchal Express was standing at the platform. It was too late to operate points and divert the train when the Uttar Banga Express was seen.
The driver of the Vananchal Express, said that “even though the green signal was given at 1.54am, we could start the train only at 2.01am because we had not received any signal from the guard”.
Compensation
Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee has announced compensation of a total of RsRupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
500,000 for the dead, 100,000 for the seriously injured, and Rs 25,000 for minor injuries.
External links
- Photographs of the unidentified persons who died in the incident of collision of 3148 DN Uttar Banga Express & 3404 DN Vananchal Express on the night of 19 July 2010 at Sainthia Station Reference: Sainthia GRPS Case No. 13/10 dated 19 July 2010 u/s 279/337/338/304A IPC.