The train accident in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on Wednesday evening played out as a series of unfortunate events resulting in 12 deaths and several injuries. Of the victims, seven were Nepali migrant agricultural workers, whose families were enduring the trauma of the incident.
The Tragic Sequence
45 PM. The chain pulled on the basis of a false fire alarm caused by a tea seller’s cry of fire in one of the bogies. The panic spread rapidly, and passengers began jumping off the train in confusion and fear.
On disembarking, they were oblivious to the approaching Bengaluru-Delhi Karnataka Express on the parallel tracks. The collision was devastating, with 12 people losing their lives and 10 others sustaining injuries.
Victims and Survivors
Among the killed were Lachchiram Pasi, a Nepali migrant worker, and six other Nepalese citizens. Lachchiram’s nephew, Ramrang Pasi, who resides in Jalgaon, described the horrifying state of his uncle’s mutilated remains, which have yet to be fully recovered. Lachchiram, a daily wage earner travelling along with five others from a Nepalese country to Thane through Lucknow, was stuck. The survivors are now faced with the trauma of the event.
Another migrant, Shaukat Ali, from Nepal, described the horrifying experience of the accident. He described how he and a co-passenger narrowly survived by lying down in a small space between the two trains and clinging to each other as the Karnataka Express sped past them.
Injuries and Relief Efforts
Ten of the injured are to receive treatment, nine of them receiving treatment at the Pachora civil hospital and 1 at the Jalgaon hospita l. Others with minor injuries have been discharged. The Central Railway has paid ex gratia amount of ₹2.70 lakh to nine injured passengers.
The corpses of the victims are still being identified, and already eight of the 12 victims have been identified. Identification has been facilitated in some instances by cards with Aadhaar numbers.
The Panic and Rumors
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar attributed the incident to a bogus rumour initiated by a chai wallah at the pantry of the Pushpak Express. According to Pawar, the tea seller, screaming about a fire in one of the bogies, caused mayhem and confusion among the passengers. Two passengers from Uttar Pradesh’s Shravasti district reportedly heard the shout and conveyed the alarm to others, amplifying the confusion.
Dilip Kumar, the executive director of information and publicity in the Railway Board, refuted the allegation of fire or spark in the train. He emphasized that the panic was unfounded and resulted from misinformation.
The Aftermath
20 AM on Thursday. The Maharashtra administration and railway staff are currently probing the incident to identify the actual timeline of events and avoid similar future incidents.
Tales of Horror and Resilience
The Jalgaon train accident has been a profound tragedy that has brought untold misery to families, in particular those of Nepalese victims who were migrant workers looking for a good living. The mutilated corpse of Lachchiram (not yet complete) represents heavy scar of loss and suffering, experienced by the victims’ families.
Nevertheless, the survivors’ accounts of the events demonstrate the tenacity of the human spirit. Shaukat Ali’s miraculous escape underscores how small acts of composure in moments of panic can save lives.
Looking Ahead
This devastating event is a reminder of the necessity for communication and emergency response plans of public transport systems. Authorities should take steps to extinguish misinformation as soon as possible and safeguard passenger safety to avoid such incidents in the future.
While the victims’ families are still lamenting the departure of their near and dear and the injured are recovering from the unfortunate incident, the Railway Authorities are put on the trial of dealing with the root of this preventable catastrophe.
