New Delhi: It all started with a huge panic triggered by a rumour of “Aag lag gayi (A fire has broken out)” after which the passengers pulled the emergency chain, jumped off the train and started running, said Deependra Pariyal, a witness to the train tragedy in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra which claimed 12 lives.
The passengers had come out of their coaches due to a rumoured blaze on the Pushpak Express, the witness said. While they were on the railway tracks, the Karnataka Express, travelling on the adjacent line, rammed them. The accident occurred between Maheji and Pardhade stations, near Pachora, over 400 km from Mumbai. Deepender said that they were a group of 8 travelling in the train, and one of them is still missing.
Another witness said that he saw many bodies lying on the tracks. He said his sister got injured in the incident, and is in a critical condition.
‘Amid the chaos, passengers started jumping off the train’
It is believed that some passengers saw sparks flying from the Pushpak Express train’s wheels when the brakes were applied. Soon, there were rumours that a fire had erupted, causing panic among passengers. “Amid the chaos, passengers started jumping off the train,” said witness Vishal Yadav, who was bleeding from his knee, to NDTV. Officials said that those who jumped off the train on the railway line were run over by a fast train. “We also began to get off the train when suddenly a train coming from the opposite direction caused a stampede-like situation. In the chaos, I tried to escape and got injured,” Yadav said.
A senior Railway official was quoted as saying by PTI that initial information indicates that there were sparks and smoke inside one of the general coaches of Pushpak Express due to either “hot axle” or “brake-binding (jamming)”.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced financial aid of Rs 5 lakh each to families who have lost a loved one in the tragedy. “Our minister Girish Mahajan is personally overseeing the rescue and support to the victims of the accident. I have spoken to district administration and police officials there (in Jalgaon),” the Chief Minister pointed out.
