At least five passengers were killed and 13 injured after falling off an overcrowded Mumbai suburban train near Mumbra in Thane district of Maharashtra on Monday morning, said Railway officials. According to Central Railways, the reason for the accident is believed to be excessive crowd on the train.
The incident occurred between Diva and Kopar railway stations when the overcrowded train was going towards Kasara, an official said.
The details of the deceased are as follows:
- Ketan Dilip Saroj (male, 23 years, resident: Tanaji Nagar, Ulhasnagar)
- Rahul Santosh Gupta
- Vicky Babasaheb Mukhydal (male, 34 years, railway police employee)
- One unidentified person
No confirmation of which train passengers fell
According to information received from railway sources, the injured passengers who fell from the train were immediately admitted to the nearest hospital. The initial alert came from a local guard en route to Kasara. However, Central Railway has not yet confirmed the specific train on which the passengers fell.
On the Mumbra railway mishap, CPRO, Central Railway, Swapnil Dhanraj Nila said, "There has been an incident where eight people travelling on local trains from Mumbra to Diva fell down. The guard of a Kasara-bound local train reported this incident. These people have been rushed to the hospital for their treatment. This incident happened between Mumbra-Diva railway stations on the Down/Fast Line. People travelling on the footboard on a local train from Kasara and similarly those on a train going towards CSMT, collided with each other and fell."
As per officials, at least six passengers were found injured along the fast line railway track between Mumbra and Diva stations in Thane district. They were suspected to have fallen from a moving train, the officials said.
What was the reason for the accident?
"The first information given by the guard of the Kasara-bound local train was that six passengers were seen lying injured on the down-through track. Once the ambulances reached the spot, we found out that there were eight passengers. We have seen that sometimes passengers travel standing on the footboard even when there is space in the train. There is CCTV footage available on a route or a section," he said.
It was not yet known from which train the passengers fell, the official said. "It is not a collision. In this incident, the passengers travelling on footboards in trains in opposite directions got entangled. This is one of the suspected reasons for the incident, as informed by a passenger. The distance between two trains is 1.5-2 meters, but on curves, a slight tilt happens, and this could be an additional reason for the incident."
Maharashtra CM reacts
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief over the accident and said that the Railway Department has launched an investigation into the exact cause of this incident.
"It is very unfortunate that a total of 8 passengers fell from a local train between Diva-Mumbra station and some of them lost their lives. I pay my heartfelt tributes to them. We share the grief of their families. The injured have been immediately admitted to Shivaji Hospital and Thane General Hospital and are undergoing treatment. The local administration is coordinating. I pray to God that the injured get relief soon. The Railway Department has launched an investigation into the exact cause of this incident," said the CM.
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