2 dead, 20 injured as Howrah Mumbai Mail derails in Jharkhand

In yet another train accident, two people dead and more than 20 injured after at least 18 coaches of the Howrah Mumbai derailed near Chakradharpur in Jharkhand, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. The official reason for the derailment has not been confirmed by the Railways as yet. This was the third train accident involving a passenger train in less than two months, since the Kanchanjunga Express tragedy on June 10 in Bengal’s Jalpaiguri, claiming 10 lives. On July 18, the Chandigarh- Dibrugarh Express derailed claiming two lives.

The accident, which occurred at 3:45 AM near Badabamboo in the Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway (SER), involved the 22-coach train numbered 12810, which was en route from Mumbai to Howrah via Nagpur. As per reports, the derailment affected 16 passenger coaches, one power car, and one pantry car. Injured passengers were initially treated in Badabamboo before being moved to Chakradharpur for further medical care. In a separate incident nearby, a goods train also derailed, though it has not been confirmed if the two accidents are related.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at the BJP-led NDA government for its alleged negligence, and inability to prevent frequent train accidents. "I seriously ask: is this governance? This series of nightmares almost every week, this unending procession of deaths and injuries on railway tracks: for how long shall we tolerate this? Will there be no end to the callousness of the Government of India?! My heart goes out to the bereaved families, condolences to the next of kin," posted Banerjee on her social media platform "X".

In response to the derailment, the South Eastern Railway has canceled several trains, including the Howrah-Titlagarh-Kantabanji Ispat Express and the Howrah-Barbil Janshatabdi Express, with other services being short-terminated or diverted.

Helpline numbers have been issued by the SER:

- Tatanagar: 06572290324
- Chakradharpur: 06587 238072
- Rourkela: 06612501072, 06612500244
- Howrah: 9433357920, 03326382217
- Ranchi: 0651-27-87115
- HWH Help Desk: 033-26382217, 9433357920
- SHM Help Desk: 6295531471, 7595074427
- KGP Help Desk: 03222-293764​