Overview
- The MEMU commuter train from Gevra to Bilaspur rear‑ended a stationary goods train between Gatora and Bilaspur around 4 pm on Tuesday on the Howrah–Mumbai route.
- Officials report 11 dead and about 20 injured, with rescuers cutting open mangled coaches after a passenger coach was lifted onto a freight wagon by the impact.
- Loco pilot Vidya Sagar was among those killed, assistant loco pilot Rashmi Raj was seriously injured, and the goods train guard escaped with minor injuries after jumping from the brake van.
- Indian Railways announced ex‑gratia payments of ₹10 lakh for the deceased, ₹5 lakh for the seriously injured, and ₹1 lakh for minor injuries, while Chhattisgarh added ₹5 lakh for each death and ₹50,000 for the injured.
- A CRS‑level inquiry has been ordered after a Railway Board note cited a likely signal passed at danger, with a senior official saying the passenger train struck at an estimated 60–70 kmph.