Many Feared Dead After Jumping Off Train Over Fire Rumour, Run Over By Another

Several people are feared dead after a fire rumour on a train crossing Maharashtra’s Jalgaon triggered panic, with passengers jumping off the train and getting hit by another coming in from the other direction, Central Railway officials said. 

The accident took place near Pardhade station, near Pachora, where the Pushpak Express, a Daily Superfast Express train that runs between Lucknow to Mumbai, had halted after someone pulled the chain due to a rumour of fire on board around 5 pm, said the Railways. Pachora is more than 400 km away from Mumbai.

Some passengers of the Pushpak Express stepped down, and were hit by the oncoming Karnataka Express, said Central Railway’s chief spokesperson Swapnil Nila.

“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 news agency PTI.

Maharashtra minister Gulabrao Patil, who is also the guardian minister of Jalgaon, said senior officials are reaching the spot.