12 passengers jump off Pushpak Express over fire rumour, run over by another

At least 12 passengers were killed on Wednesday evening when they jumped from their train in panic due to a ‘fire incident’, only to be run over by another train on the adjacent tracks in North Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, officials said.

Twelve bodies were sent to the nearby civil hospital, while six to seven persons were injured, special Inspector General of Police Dattatraya Karale told PTI.

The accident took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora, more than 400 km from Mumbai, where the 12533 Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express had halted after someone pulled the chain around 5 pm, Central Railway officials said, without confirming the death toll.

Some passengers of the Pushpak Express jumped off the train, and were hit by the oncoming Karnataka Express heading from Bengaluru to Delhi, said Central Railway’s chief spokesperson Swapnil Nila.

IG Karale said a “fire incident” occurred on the Pushpak Express at km 372/07 between Maheji and Pardhade stations. The train stopped at the location and some passengers disembarked. Train No. 12627, the Bengaluru-New Delhi Karnataka Express, hit people standing on the railway tracks, he added.

“Six to seven people have been injured. All injured passengers are being treated at the hospital, and none of their injuries are serious. Both trains have reached their respective next stations and the accident site has been cleared,” the senior police official added.

The Pushpak Express departed from the spot in just 15 minutes, while the Karnataka Express was removed within 20 minutes after the accident, a railway official said.

Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan also reached the spot. The injured are being treated in a hospital in Pachora and most of them are out of danger, he said.

Visuals from the accident spot showed a few bodies and severed body parts.

“Our preliminary information is that there were sparks and smoke inside one of the general coaches of the 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. At the same time, the Karnataka Express was passing,” a senior railway official had told PTI earlier.

An Accident Relief Train has been dispatched to the spot from Bhusaval, and the Central Railway is making all efforts to provide medical aid to the injured passengers, an official statement said.

Government and private hospitals in the area have been instructed to be ready to treat injured passengers, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on X.

'Track curvature affected Karnataka Express visibility and braking distance'  

A track curvature prima facie affected visibility for the Karnataka Express which mowed down at least 12 passengers in Jalgaon district, railway officials said.

The passengers of the Lucknow-CSMT Pushpak Express got down on tracks amid a fire rumour when the incident occurred, officials said, adding that 15 persons were injured.

Railway Officials said drivers of both trains followed the protocol and tried their best to avoid the accident.

A senior Central Railway official said the driver of the Pushpak Express had turned on the flasher light as per the rule when the train stopped between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora, more than 400 km from Mumbai.

He said the driver of Karnataka Express applied brakes after seeing the flasher light signal of the Pushpak Express.

“However, the visibility of the train (Karnataka Express) and its braking distance was affected by the track curvature,” he added citing preliminary information.

According to railway officials, trains run at more than 100 kmph in this section which falls under the trunk route of the railway.