Daijiworld Media Network - Agartala/Guwahati
Agartala/Guwahati, Nov 20: Three people, including a mini-truck driver, were killed on Thursday after their vehicle collided with an express train in Tripura’s Dhalai district, officials said.
According to Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, chief public relations officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), the down Agartala–Silchar Express was passing through the hilly Ambasa–Manu section when a goods-laden mini truck suddenly entered the railway track at an unauthorised crossing.
The train struck the vehicle, killing the driver and two other occupants on the spot. The track was later cleared, allowing the train to resume its journey, Sharma said.
He added that the crossing where the crash occurred had long been identified as unsafe. Despite repeated efforts by railway authorities to shut it down, local resistance prevented its closure. Railway officials had visited the site as recently as October 5 to initiate closure, but the attempt was stalled by residents.
Calling the incident “tragic and avoidable,” the NFR once again urged the public to stay off railway tracks. Unauthorised crossing, Sharma warned, is not only life-threatening but also a punishable offence under the Indian Railways Act.
Police identified the deceased as Pramesh Debbarma (23), Bupendra Debbarma (55) and Bina Debbarma (27). Fire and Emergency Service personnel recovered the bodies and sent them for post-mortem. Authorities described the crash as one of the most serious railway accidents in Tripura in recent years.
This fatal accident comes just weeks after another near-tragedy at the same Ambasa–Manu stretch on October 5, when a Dharmanagar–Agartala DEMU passenger train collided with a mini truck loaded with brick chips. In that incident, the truck got stuck on an unauthorised crossing. Though the train hit the vehicle and dragged it a short distance, no injuries were reported.
Police said both accidents highlight the persistent danger posed by unauthorised crossings frequently used by locals, despite repeated warnings.
Railway and police authorities have renewed their appeal for strict public adherence to safety norms to prevent further loss of life.