The Silchar - Lumding line has been plagued by uncertainty and controversy for long. (Representational Image)
A major accident was averted on Saturday as the engine of a Silchar-bound train, with more than a thousand passengers on board, ran off the tracks in Assam's Dima Hasao district.
The front wheel of the engine of New Delhi - Silchar link Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express hit several boulders which had fallen on the railway track following a landslide and derailed after 9 pm last night, preliminary reports suggest. Heavy rain in the area for the past few days had made sections of the hillside unstable, locals say.
Fortunately for the passengers, the driver of train spotted the boulders and debris and managed to slow it down, preventing the rest of the 21 passenger coaches from running off the track.
Amid reports of more landslides on the track, the passenger coaches have been pulled to Silchar.
The area is prone to landslides, officials say.
"This area has always had heavy rainfall and therefore there is a threat of landslides," said Pranav Jyoti Sharma, an official of the Northeast Frontier Railway.
"All passengers are safe and the route has now been cleared but as a precaution we are only starting goods services right now. If everything is okay we will resume passenger services tomorrow," Mr Sharma told NDTV.
The Silchar - Lumding rail line has been plagued by uncertainty and controversy for long. Passenger service was only started on the rail line five months ago after it was broadened to accommodate regular trains.
Then too restrictions had been placed on the speed of the train due to concerns over stability of track.
Earlier this week on May 19, passenger services had been suspended on the advice of the chief bridge engineer but were resumed later.