At least 13 killed in western India after jumping off train over fire rumor

At least 13 train passengers were killed after being hit by another service train on an adjacent track in western India after they jumped from their coaches in a panic to escape a rumoured fire incident, local media has reported.

At least six other people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, the media cited police officer Dattatraya Karale as saying on Wednesday.

The accident occurred in Maharashtra State on Wednesday, near the Pardhade railroad station, 410 kilometres (255 miles) southwest of Mumbai, India’s financial capital.

The victims jumped off the Pushpak Express train, which had stopped after some passengers pulled an emergency chain. Those who disembarked were hit by another express train on the adjacent railroad track, the Press Trust of India quoted railway spokesman Swapnil Nila as saying.

“Our preliminary information is that there were sparks inside one of the 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 on the tracks. At the same time, Karnataka Express was passing on the adjoining track,” a senior railway official told PTI.

Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, hundreds of accidents occur every year on India’s railways, which is the largest train network under one management in the world.

In 2023, two passenger trains collided after derailing in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades.

___

Source: TRT