BB Desk
Multiple passengers tumbled off two over-crowded moving trains near Thane’s Mumbra railway station, resulting in four fatalities and injuring nine others on Monday. The incident took place in the morning at around 9 am when two crammed suburban trains crossed one another on severely curved tracks causing passengers on footboards of both the trains to collide and fall.
According to Central Railway (CR) officials, the Kasara bound train which had started from CSMT (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) experienced a sudden jerk while passing through Diva-Mumbra stations causing passengers hanging off its footboard to collide with other passengers dangling in similar way on another train that was moving in opposite direction towards CSMT resulting in the tragedy.
Reacting on the incident, Dr Swapnil Nila, CPRO, Central Railway said, “Preliminary investigations indicate the passengers were travelling on footboard. Sometimes, even when there is space in the train, passengers travel standing on the footboard. No collision occurred. In this case, passengers on footboards aboard trains going in different directions got entangled. This could be one of the possible reason for the incident as reported by a passenger. There is usually 1.5–2 m gap between two trains, but on curves, a slight tilt happens, and this could be an additional cause of the incident”.
Nila further added, “The first information was provided to us by the guard of Kasara-bound local train who said six passengers were seen laying injured on the down-through track. When ambulances arrived on the spot, we realised there were eight passengers. CCTV footage is also available on a route or a section. Additional investigations are underway to ascertain the actual cause of this unfortunate incident”.
The deceased have been identified as policeman Vicky Babasaheb Mukhyadal (34), Ketan Dilip Saroj (23), Rahul Santosh Gupta (27), and Mayur Shah (44). Injured passengers are being treated at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Kalwa. Monday’s tragedy once again brought to light how dangerous local train travel in Mumbai is, as it is one of the most congested suburban rail networks in the world.
