Five wagons of a goods train carrying petroleum products derailed near the Kumedpur railway station in Malda district on Friday morning.

This is the second freight train to derail in north Bengal in the past 20 days. On July 31, bogies of a goods train derailed at the Rangapani station near New Jalpaiguri while it was heading towards the railway siding of the terminal of a petroleum refinery.

Railway traffic was disrupted along the New Jalpaiguri-Malda Town-Katihar routes following the derailment on Friday. Some trains were diverted, while a few were cancelled.

According to sources in the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), the goods train was going to Barauni in Bihar from Bongaigaon in Assam. Around 10.45am, five wagons derailed as the train reached the Talgram bridge near the Kumedpur station.

Senior railway officials, engineers and workers from the Katihar division of the NFR reached the spot and started clearing the tracks.

“Restoration work has commenced at the spot. An inquiry will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the derailment,” said Sabyasachi De, the chief public relations officer of the NFR.

After the derailment, NFR authorities announced the cancellation of two trains connecting Balurghat and Malda with Siliguri Junction and New Jalpaiguri.

The NJP-bound Vande Bharat Express from Howrah was diverted through Katihar while the Howrah-bound Vande Bharat Express has been rescheduled.

Five other long-distance express trains were diverted via other routes.

Four trains had short termination of the journey following the derailment at Kumedpur.

On June 17, a goods train rammed into the rear of the Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express near the Rangapani station. Ten persons died in the accident.