At least 18 coaches of the Mumbai-Howrah Mail derailed in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district at around 3:45 am on Tuesday (July 30). The most recent update by West Singhbhum DC puts the death toll at two. At around 8 am, there were at least 20 injured due to the accident.

“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,” PTI quoted South Eastern Railway spokesperson Om Prakash Charan as saying.

“Six passengers were injured in the accident and provided medical aid in Barabamboo. They are now being taken to Chakradharpur for better treatment,” another senior SER official said.

Charan said that there was another derailment of a goods train nearby. However, it remains unclear whether the two accidents occurred concurrently.

The rescue operation is currently ongoing.

Train schedule impacted

The South Eastern Railway has announced the cancellation and short-termination of several trains owing to the derailment of the Mumbai-Howrah Mail.

According to a press release issued by SER, the following trains will remain cancelled on July 30:

Additionally, some trains will be short-terminated or will commence from alternative locations. These include:

**Opposition reacts to train accident**West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reacted to the incident on social media platform X (previously Twitter). Hitting out at the government, she wrote, “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 Government of India?!”

The CM also conveyed her condolences to the next of kin of the affected individuals.

“What happened to the government’s claims of railway safety and security? Why are accidents happening frequently? People are not getting facilities, people are being killed. The government should help the kin of deceased. There should be efforts to make robust arrangements to avoid such accidents in the future,” Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav told reporters on Tuesday morning.

With inputs from PTI

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Train derailment in Jharkhand: Mumbai-Howrah Mail’s 18 Coaches off track, 2 killed and 20 injured