Jalgaon | At least 12 passengers were killed on Wednesday evening when they jumped from their train in panic due to a `fire incident', only to be run over by another train on the adjacent tracks in North Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, officials said.
Twelve bodies were sent to the nearby civil hospital while six to seven persons were injured, special Inspector General of Police Dattatraya Karale told PTI.
The accident took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora, more than 400 km from Mumbai, where the 12533 Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express had halted after someone pulled the chain around 5 pm, Central Railway officials said, without confirming the death toll.
Some passengers of the Pushpak Express jumped off, and were hit by the oncoming Karnataka Express heading from Bengaluru to Delhi, said Central Railway's chief spokesperson Swapnil Nila.
IG Karale told PTI that a "fire incident" occurred on Pushpak Express, at km 372/07 between Maheji and Pardhade stations. The train stopped at the location, and some passengers disembarked. Train No. 12627, Bengaluru-New Delhi Karnataka Express hit people standing on the railway tracks, he added.
"Six to seven people have been injured. All injured passengers are being treated at the hospital, none of their injuries are serious. Both trains have reached their respective next stations and the accident site has been cleared," the senior police official added.
Pushpak Express departed from the spot in just 15 minutes, while the Karnataka Express was removed within 20 minutes after the accident, a railway official said.
Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan also reached the spot. The injured are being treated in a hospital in Pachora and most of them were out of danger, he said.
Visuals from the accident spot showed a few bodies and severed body parts.
"Our preliminary information is that there were sparks and smoke inside one of the general coaches of Pushpak Express due to either `hot axle' or `brake-binding' (jamming), and some passengers panicked. They pulled the chain, and some of them jumped down. At the same time, Karnataka Express was passing," a senior railway official had told PTI earlier.
An Accident Relief Train has been dispatched to the spot from Bhusaval, and Central Railway is making all efforts to provide medical aid to the injured passengers, an official statement said.
Government and private hospitals in the area have been instructed to be ready to treat injured passengers, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on X.
Mumbai | The Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced a Rs 5 lakh ex gracia for the kin of those killed in the train accident in Jalgaon district.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is in Davos, said in a video that the government will bear the cost of medical treatment for the injured persons.
At least ten passengers were killed after jumping off the Pushpak Express amid rumours of a fire on board the train, and were run over by another train on the adjacent tracks, officials said.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said prima facie passengers of Pushpak Express jumped off the train amid rumours of a fire on board the train.
He said the exact number of the injured and deceased passengers is being ascertained.
Shinde said authorities have been directed to immediately shift the injured to the hospital and ensure they get proper treatment.
"Preliminary information suggests that the accident occurred when some passengers from Pushpak Express jumped onto the adjacent track after rumours of a fire. Railway officials and rescue teams are reaching the spot," Shinde said.
Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan expressed sorrow over the incident.
"Extremely saddened to know about the unfortunate death of some passengers after they were hit by another train near Jalgaon. Convey my condolences to the next of those who lost their lives. Wishing a speedy recovery to the injured," he stated.
Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said the incident was heart-wrenching.
He said eight passengers were killed and 12 others injured.
"This accident has plunged many families into deep sorrow. I pay my heartfelt tributes to the deceased," he said.
Wadettiwar demanded necessary facilities for treating the injured passengers and investigation by the Railways to prevent such incidents.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also expressed condolences.
"Passengers jumped out of the express in fear as they thought the train was on fire, leading to this unfortunate accident. Heartfelt condolences to the passengers who lost their lives. Prayers for the injured passengers to get proper treatment at the earliest and their health to improve," he said.
State Congress president Nana Patole said, "Lives have become cheap. There is no accountability now in this government. It's the failure of the Modi government and it should resign".
New Delhi | Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who briefed him about the train tragedy in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district.
At least 10 train passengers were killed after they stepped down on the tracks from their train due to a rumour of fire and were run over by another train coming from the opposite direction this evening.
"The train accident in Jalgaon, Maharashtra is extremely sad. I spoke to Chief Minister Shri @Dev_Fadnavis ji in this regard and took stock of the situation arising after the accident. The local administration is providing all possible help to the injured. I express my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured," Shah wrote on 'X' in Hindi.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and wished for speedy recovery of the injured.
Jalgaon | Panic gripped passengers when sparks flew from the wheels of Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express after brakes were applied ahead of a railway station in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, prompting some of them to pull an emergency chain.
Some passengers jumped on the tracks from one side while others stepped down from another side, close to a culvert wall, eye-witnesses said.
The passengers who jumped on the tracks were run over by a fast train, they said.
"The incident occurred after the train passed the Jalgaon station and was nearing Pachora in the afternoon," a passenger told a Marathi news channel.
He said panic gripped passengers after some of them saw sparks flying from the wheels of the train when brakes were applied.
"Some passengers pulled the emergency chain and got down on the tracks, leading to the tragedy," he said.
He saw at least two passengers coming under the wheels of the Karnataka Express.
"Some passengers said 8 to 9 fatalities have occurred," he said, adding that Pushpak Express resumed its onward journey after more than an hour.
The visuals of the spot show mutilated body parts lying along a stretch of the railway track. Many passengers descended a slope after the train came to a halt.
At least 12 passengers were killed when they jumped from their train in panic due to a "fire incident", only to be run over by another train on the adjacent tracks in North Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, officials said
Residents of nearby villages rushed to the spot to offer help.
Salman Pathan, a resident of Pachora, said he saw mutilated bodies on the tracks.
"We saw the headless body of a man. A woman was inconsolable after her husband lost his life in the accident, his body badly mangled," he said.
A senior Railway official told PTI that the preliminary information suggests sparks and smoke inside one of the general coaches of Pushpak Express due to either `hot axle' or `brake-binding' (jamming).
"Some panicked passengers pulled the chain, and some of them jumped down. At the same time, Karnataka Express was passing," he said.
New Delhi | Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday expressed grief over the death of 12 passengers in a train run-over incident in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra.
The incident took place when some passengers jumped off the Pushpak Express near Jalgaon amid rumours of a fire in their coach. They were mowed down by the Karnataka Express coming on the adjacent track.
"Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has expressed deep sorrow over the incident. He took complete information about the incident from the Railway Board Chairman and other officials and gave instructions for proper treatment of all the injured," a statement issued by the Railway Board said.
"He has expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the incident," it added.
Vaishnaw is currently in Davos to take part in the World Economic Forum.
