Neither the Kanchenjunga Express passengers nor the people of Nirmal Jote village, who were among the first to come to the victims' rescue, could have predicted how Monday would turn out.
Due to the fact that the day fell on Eid-Al-Adha, many locals, like 32-year-old Mohammad Momirul, began their day with namaz. The Kanchenjunga Express, which was headed for Sealdah, collided with a goods train, and soon after, word of the incident spread.
The catastrophe claimed the lives of at least nine people and injured almost forty more. "Everyone in the house was celebrating after I had just returned from giving namaz when there was a huge noise. I observed the derailed coaches as I ran to the nearby train tracks. I noticed the goods train loco pilot laying beneath the passenger train's wheels. He was dead by the time I got to him," Momirul remarked.
“More than 150 Nirmal Jote locals came to Momirul to assist with the rescue efforts. The townspeople quickly offered assistance in rescuing the passengers and tending to the injured, setting aside their celebrations. Many of them drove themselves to neighboring hospitals because ambulances were no longer available. There have even been cases of people resting in the houses of locals.”
Witnesses report that it took almost an hour for the police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and disaster management staff to arrive at the scene of the accident.
Another Nirmal Jote resident, Mohammad Nazrul, claimed to have rescued about 35 people and discovered six bodies at the crash scene.
"I was preparing for the celebration." I visited the scene as soon as word of the disaster circulated. One of the older women was hurt and could not stand. I noticed her wailing for water. She appeared defenseless. After I consoled her, her Siligurian relatives arrived and returned her, according to local Taslima Khatoon.
"I never imagined I would witness something like this, but I remember watching the news when the Balasore train accident happened last year," she continued.
