At least 61 people were killed and over 70 injured on Friday after a speeding train mowed down a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching the burning of Ravana effigy at Joda Phatak near Amritsar. The train was coming from Jalandhar and at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground adjacent to the tracks.
Indian captain Virat Kohli has also joined ex-cricketers Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh in condoling the death of the people who were affected by the incident. The Indian captain took to Twitter saying: 'My prayers are with the families of those affected by the terrible train accident in Amritsar yesterday.'
Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar too echoed similar sentiments as he took to the micro-blogging site to say: 'Heartbroken for all the victims of the #AmritsarTrainAccident. Nothing can replace the souls lost. Praying for the injured and all the families.'
A merry occasion turned all gloomy when as many as 300 Dussehra revellers, watching Ravan Dahan at Joda Phatak, started retreating towards the tracks as the effigy was being lit, and fell victim to the speeding train.
Wails and cries filled the air as severed bodies, including of children, were seen splattered in huge numbers at the railway tracks after a train mowed them down. In just three seconds it left behind a heap of crushed and dismembered bodies.
