A nurse on duty at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), on the outskirts of Siliguri, who was attending to patients on Monday morning, got the shock of her life.

Her husband Caleb Subba, was one of the casualties of the Kanchenjunga Express train tragedy. His body arrived at the hospital where she was working.

Subba, a sub-inspector in the state excise department posted at Manikchak circle in Malda, as the officer-in-charge, had died under the impact of the collision when a goods train rammed into Kanchenjunga Express at Chhoto Nirmaljote area near Siliguri.

The excise officer, who originally hails from Gorubathan, where his parents still live, had boarded the train from New Jalpaiguri (NJP) Junction early on Monday after bidding his wife and son goodbye.

He had come to Siliguri on June 15 from his workplace Malda over the weekend to see his two-year-old son "who was ill".

He was going back to Malda to rejoin his duties on Monday.

Instead, he arrived at his wife's workplace as one of the casualties of the collision.

One of his sisters said that his wife was in shock.

Ranjoy Prasad Biswas, the Deputy excise collector, Samsi Range in Malda, added that Subba's posting earlier was in Darjeeling.

"However, according to election rules, Subba was transferred to Manikchak in Malda three months ago. Subba was an SI of the 2015 batch. We are literally speechless at the tragic demise of such a promising and smiling officer,” he said.

Ashish Dey, 40, the railway guard of the ill-fated Kanchenjunga Express left for work at 7am on Monday, like any other day.

His neighbours and residents of ward 32 of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, whom he spoke to before going to join his duties, could not believe a couple of hours later that it had been their last meeting.

“It is an irreparable loss for his wife, daughter and old mother. But we will also miss our jovial neighbour,” said Sumit Das, his neighbour. "The entire locality is grieving," he added.

Shankar Mohan Das and Partha Sarathi Mandal, both Railway Mail Service (RMS) staff members, were also killed in the accident.

Their colleagues were seen weeping when the bodies were brought to the NBMCH for the autopsy.

Nine persons have died, three of whom are railway staff, and over 40 people have been injured.

“This brought back memories of another terrible train accident on August 2, 1999, at Gaisal on this railway line,” said Asit Baran Roy, a senior citizen. "I was an eye-witness to that accident. The sound of wailing is the same."