Freight trains collide in Punjab, 2 loco pilots injured

Loco pilots of two freight trains suffered injuries as the locomotives collided at  Sirhind railway station during the early hours of Sunjay. The injured loco pilots were rushed to a civil hospital nearby for treatment.

According to Government Railway Police, a stationary goods train at Sirhind railway station was hit from the rear by another during the early hours of Sunday. A GRP official told ANI, “Around 3:45am, we received information that an accident took place. Two loco pilots suffered injuries and they have been admitted to Fatehgarh Sahib Civil Hospital. No casualties have been reported.”

According to police, the collision caused the engine of one of them to flip over to another track and hit a passenger train. The injured loco pilots were identified as  Vikas Kumar and Himanshu Kumar. A Fatehgarh Sahib Civil Hospital doctor said Vikas Kumar suffered injuries to his head and Himanshu Kumar to his back. They were referred to the Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, he added.

Railway officials said restoration work was underway and trains are being diverted through Rajpura, Patiala and Dhuri and some via Chandigarh.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said directions have been issued to the district administration to provide all possible help. "There was news of an accident involving two trains at Sirhind railway station. Thank God that there was no loss of life," he said in a post in Punjabi on 'X'.

-with inputs from agencies.