11 Dead, 20 injured as passenger train crashes into goods train near Bilaspur
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh – A local passenger train rammed into a stationary goods train near Bilaspur station on Tuesday, killing 11 people and injuring 20 others. The collision, which occurred around 4 p.m., left one coach of the passenger train mounted on top of a wagon of the goods train.
The MEMU passenger train was heading to Bilaspur from Gevra in Korba district when it struck the goods train from behind. The impact crushed several compartments. Among the dead was the loco pilot, while the female assistant pilot suffered serious injuries. Railway officials rushed to the site as rescue teams began pulling trapped passengers from the mangled coaches.
Soon after the crash, chaos erupted. Survivors screamed for help as metal sheets twisted and glass shattered. Passengers described the scene as one of total panic and darkness.
Sanjeev Vishwakarma, 35, a passenger from Bilha, recalled the horror. “Just 500 metres after leaving Gatora, the train shook violently. There was a loud bang, and everything went black,” he said from his hospital bed. Vishwakarma had been sitting in the first coach, which climbed onto the goods train. “People were crying for help. I saw bodies right in front of me,” he said, trembling.
He explained that there were around 17 passengers in his coach, including children. “Three people, including a woman, died in front of me. Their faces still haunt me,” he added.
Another passenger, Mohan Sharma from Raipur, narrowly escaped death. He had boarded the MEMU train from Champa, hoping to reach Raipur early. “I thought I’d save time by taking this train. I even got down once but boarded again,” he said. Moments later, the train jolted violently. “I was thrown to the floor. My phone flew away. When I looked out, I saw the first coach on top of the goods train,” he recalled. His right leg got trapped under a seat before rescuers freed him. “It all happened in seconds. If the train had slowed down, lives could’ve been saved,” Sharma said.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Mehbish Parveen, a BSc Mathematics student from Janjgir-Champa, also suffered injuries. She was returning to Bilaspur after attending a wedding. “It was supposed to be a happy journey back home. Then came the crash. My leg broke, and people screamed for help,” she said, fighting tears.
Rescue teams, including railway staff and local police, worked late into the evening to evacuate passengers. Ambulances ferried the injured to Bilaspur district hospital.
Officials began clearing the tracks by nightfall to restore train services. Senior railway officers reached the site to assess the damage and order an inquiry.
As evening descended on Bilaspur, the twisted metal and shattered glass stood as grim reminders of yet another rail tragedy in Chhattisgarh. Survivors clung to life in hospital beds while families of the victims waited for news outside the mortuary.
The accident once again raised questions about rail safety and the need for better signal coordination on busy routes like Bilaspur–Korba.
