Two city residents — Shankar Mohan Das, 62, and Shubhojit Mali, 33 — were among the passengers of the Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express who were killed after a goods train rammed into it from behind near Rangapani station, around 10km from New Jalpaiguri station.

Das, a resident of Canal Circular Road in Kankurgachhi, had retired from the railways two years ago but was given an extension in service.

He had left home early on Sunday to catch a train to Siliguri. The Railway Mail Service employee was returning to Calcutta with “mails and posts” when he met with the accident, family members said.

“He had left home around 5.30am on Sunday. He was supposed to return today. His duty required him to travel on and off to collect mails and posts and return to the city,” said cousin Kushal Das.

The cousin said Das had retired from the railways two years ago but was given an extension.

Kushal, a Jadavpur resident, said Das’s younger brother Dipankar was the first in the family to know about the tragedy.

“He called me in the morning to inform me about the accident. He and my elder nephew (Shankar Das’s elder son) Subhankar immediately left for north Bengal by road,” Kushal said.

Das is survived by his 85-year-old mother Kajol Rani, wife Swapna and two sons — Subhankar and Shubham.

Subhankar is married and works at a private office in Calcutta. Subham is an engineer and works in Indore.

Neighbours and friends who gathered outside the house in Kankurgachhi said Das was a “jovial” person and “respected” by all.

“He was a very good man. He was active and agile. We heard about the shocking news. It is still hard to believe that he is no more,” said a neighbour.

“Who will take responsibility for the accident and the deaths? We have lost a son. Whatever be the cause of the accident, no one can compensate for our loss,” said a distraught Suresh Mohan Das, an uncle of the victim.

“Once our family members reach the spot, they will complete the formalities related to the claiming of the body. After that the post-mortem will be done. The body will then be released.”

Family members said Das’s younger brother and elder son would reach the accident spot late on Monday and try to expedite the post-mortem.

“His (Das’s) wife is too shocked to speak. She has not uttered a word since hearing the news. We are very concerned about her health,” said Kushal.

Mali, a resident of Jamir Lane in Ballygunge, was travelling with a friend named Surya Shekhar Panda. The friend was critically injured in the accident.

It was through Panda’s family that the news of Mali’s death reached his home on Monday afternoon.

Mail is survived by his parents, wife, two children, a brother and sister-in-law.

“He drove and delivered cars for a living. He went in a car and was returning by train,” said his wife.

Mali’s daughter is 11, while his son is 18 months’ old.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who reached the accident spot on Monday evening, said the government is trying to arrange all the logistics for the transportation and treatment of the deceased and the injured.

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the family of each of the deceased, ₹2.5 lakh for those who suffered serious injuries and ₹50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.