Jamshedpur/Ranchi: At least two people were killed and 20 others injured when at least 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed near Barabamboo in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district on Tuesday morning.
The accident occurred at 3.45 AM near Barabamboo, around 80 km from Jamshedpur, under the Chakradharpur Division of the South Eastern Railway (SER), they said. SER spokesperson Om Prakash Charan said that there was another derailment of a goods train nearby, but it was not yet clear whether the two accidents occurred concurrently.
"Two persons were killed and 20 injured as 18 coaches of Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed near Barabamboo. Rescue operations are on and an NDRF team is rushing to the spot," PTI reported quoting DC West Singhbhum Kuldeep Chaudhary, who was camping at the accident site.
The accident site is near the border between West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts. "At least 18 coaches of the 22-coach 12810 Howrah-Mumbai Mail via Nagpur derailed near Barabamboo station in SER's Chakradharpur Division at 3.45 AM," the SER spokesperson said. Of these, 16 were passenger coaches, one power car and one pantry car, he said.
"The injured passengers were provided medical aid in Barabamboo. They were taken to Chakradharpur for better treatment," another senior SER official said. The rescue operation is on, he said.