Kolkata: Anxious relatives and friends of passengers aboard the Sairang Express, which left Kolkata on Tuesday, flocked to Sealdah and Kolkata stations on Wednesday after the train derailed near Digaru station on the outskirts of Guwahati. Eastern Railway set up special help desks at both stations to assist families seeking information about passengers.Railway officials also helped those enquiring about train services to northeast India following the derailment.A senior railway officials said that about 300 passengers on board the train were from Bengal. “All of them are safe,” he said.Beliaghata resident Amit Mishra, an employee of a private firm, rushed to Sealdah station after failing to contact a colleague travelling on the train. “The person sitting at the help desk called up someone and informed me that my colleague was safe. After some time he called me back, informing that he boarded an alternative train to reach his home at Badarpur in Assam,” Mishra said.According to railway officials, the passengers from Bengal included several people working in Kolkata who were heading home to Assam and Mizoram to celebrate Chhath Puja.The train, which left Kolkata station around 10.45am on Tuesday, covers a 1,500km route passing through Naihati, Krishnagar, Berhampore Court, Murshidabad, Malda, New Jalpaiguri and New Cooch Behar.Passengers said they woke up to a violent jerk and were nearly thrown off their seats when the train derailed. Several subsequently took to social media to mark themselves “safe”. Pintu Sarkar, a pantry car employee, said, “We had a close shave from a fatal accident today. We fell off our seats and the train kept on dragging on tracks. Initially, we could not realise anything and in a short while, our compartment keeled over. Snacks packets stored in the pantry got strewn over.”Another passenger, who boarded the train at Kolkata station, recalled the terrifying moments after it passed Guwahati.“After passing Guwahati station the train gained speed and suddenly, we heard a loud thud. Before we realised anything, we felt like an earthquake and we toppled with luggage fell on us from bunker. The train dragged for about 10 minutes before it stopped and we were unable to open the gate. It’s a return from the jaws of death,” the passenger said.A senior ER official said the train had departed Kolkata on schedule and that no casualties were reported.“The passengers were travelling beyond Guwahati for Chhath Puja. No casualty was reported. To assist the families of the passengers travelling in the train, we set up help desks. Passengers were taken to their destinations on an alternative train. The reason behind the accident is being probed by the Commission of Railway Safety. The train was checked before its departure from Kolkata but some technical problem may have developed later on,” the official said.
