False Fire Alarm Causes Panic, Leading to Jalgaon Train Accident That Kills 12 Passengers

A tragic incident occurred on Wednesday evening when at least 12 passengers lost their lives after jumping from the Mumbai-bound Pushpak Express. They panicked due to a false fire alarm and were subsequently hit by another train on the adjacent tracks, officials reported. The accident took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora town in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district.

The unfortunate event unfolded when sparks from the wheels of the 12533 Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express led passengers to believe there was a fire. In their haste, they jumped onto the adjacent tracks and were struck by the Karnataka Express, which was travelling from Bengaluru to Delhi. The incident resulted in injuries to 15 other passengers.

Response and Investigation

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, speaking from Davos, Switzerland, expressed his condolences and announced financial aid of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased. "Some passengers in the train mistakenly assumed that smoke is coming out of the train and they jumped. Unfortunately, they were ran over by another train," he stated. The Commissioner of Railway Safety will investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic accident.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde mentioned that initial reports suggest passengers jumped off due to rumours of a fire. Special Inspector General of Police Dattatraya Karale confirmed that the train stopped after a fire incident, leading some passengers to disembark onto the tracks where they were hit by the New Delhi-bound Karnataka Express.

Eyewitness Accounts and Immediate Actions

Jalgaon district information officer Yuvraj Patil confirmed that 12 passengers died while 15 others sustained injuries. A passenger recounted to a Marathi news channel that panic ensued after sparks were seen flying from the train's wheels when brakes were applied. This led some passengers to pull the emergency chain and get down onto the tracks.

Visuals from the scene showed mutilated body parts along the railway track, with local villagers rushing to assist. Salman Pathan, a Pachora resident, described seeing headless bodies and a woman mourning her husband who died in the accident.

Technical Details and Safety Measures

A senior Railway official suggested that sparks and smoke inside one of Pushpak Express's general coaches might have been caused by either a 'hot axle' or 'brake-binding jamming.' Manoj Arora, Commissioner of Railway Safety for Central Circle, planned to visit the site over 400 km from Mumbai on Thursday morning to gather statements from passengers and eyewitnesses.

Officials noted that a track curvature likely affected visibility for Karnataka Express. Both trains' drivers adhered to protocols and attempted to prevent the accident. The driver of Pushpak Express activated flasher lights as per regulations when stopping between Maheji and Pardhade stations, while Karnataka Express's driver applied brakes upon seeing these signals.

Trains in this section operate at speeds exceeding 100 kmph as it falls under Central Railway's trunk route. Despite efforts by both drivers, preliminary information indicates that visibility issues due to track curvature impacted braking distance for Karnataka Express.