The injured were sent to hospitals in Sainthia and Suri.[5] The Home Minister stressed the need for a much faster response to such accidents.[6]
Investigation
Railway officials initially described how there may have been something wrong with the drivers of the Uttar Banga Express, detailing how the train had passed through a red signal at high speed, with no evidence of a brake application and with no apparent attempt by the driver or co-driver to jump clear of the train cab before the collision. Both were found dead in the wreckage, still in their seats.[7] The possibility of the two drivers of Uttar Banga Express being drugged had triggered alarm in the railways.[8] However, the post mortem of the drivers at the Suri hospital did not show any evidence of drugs.[9] As a precaution, drivers and guards have been asked not to buy any food or drink at stations.[8]
Sainthia railway station was a scheduled stop for the express, but the train is believed to have passed over a bridge 1.2 km before the accident at three times the line speed.[10] The crew had taken charge of the train at Malda Town 5 hours before the accident, and had appeared fit and well to station staff during a previous unscheduled stop at Gadadharpur, 7 km ahead of the accident site.[11]
The signalman in-charge at the station claimed to have heard the station master trying to alert the driver of the Uttar Banga Express via walkie-talkie, but got no response.[12]
The enquiry has found no fault with the train's brakes[10] although, the guard, when questioned said that he had applied the emergency brake after the driver did not respond to him on the walkie-talkie, but the brake failed.[13] Also there was no signal failure, the approach signal was red.[10] Probable causal factors found are the drugging of the drivers and not setting a diversion route when the Vananchal Express was standing at the platform.[8] It was too late to operate points and divert the train when the Uttar Banga Express was seen.[11]
The driver of the Vananchal Express, said that "even though the green signal was given at 1:54 a.m., we could start the train only at 2:01 a.m. because we had not received any signal from the guard".[8]
Compensation
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced compensation of a total of ₹500,000 for the dead, ₹100,000 for the seriously injured, and ₹25,000 for minor injuries.[14]
