Guwahati, February 3
Three persons were killed and over 50 injured - 16 of them seriously - when five coaches of a passenger train derailed after hitting an earth-carrying vehicle (dumper) at an unmanned railway crossing about 30 km west of Guwahati city.

SK Roy, Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup district, said that the driver and helper of the dumper — identified as Bipul Rabha and Saloi — and a train passenger were killed in the accident that occurred at a level crossing at Gossainghati between Azara and Mirza railway stations at 9.30 am today.

The Up Chilarai Passenger train was coming from Bongaigaon to Guwahati when it collided with the dumper that came on the railway track. The dumper was hurled about 100 ft away under the impact of the collision.

The injured were admitted to Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) here.

Local people swung into action to rescue passengers trapped in derailed coaches even before personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) could reach the accident site. The wheels of some of the derailed coaches broke and about 200m of the track was damaged due to the accident.

A senior Cabinet minister of Assam, Nilmoni Sen Deka who rushed to the spot after the accident, said that the state government had been in touch with railway authorities and the ministry to man all the vulnerable unguarded railway level crossings in the state. Additional General Manager of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Vipin Jha blamed rash driving by the dumper driver for the tragedy. The railway has announced Rs 15,000 each as compensation for the dead and Rs 5,000 each for seriously injured persons.

Rangia Division railway sources said the tracks would be repaired and the movement of trains restored by 11 pm.

(With PTI inputs)