Death Toll in Jalgaon Train Accident Climbs to 13; 8 Bodies Identified
Jalgaon: The death toll in the Jalgaon train accident has risen to 13 after the recovery of a headless body along the railway tracks, police confirmed on Thursday.
The incident occurred when some passengers of the Mumbai-bound Pushpak Express, who had exited the train following an alarm chain-pulling, were struck by the Karnataka Express traveling from Bengaluru to Delhi on the adjacent tracks in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, on Wednesday evening.
“Of the 13 victims, we have identified eight bodies so far, including two through their Aadhaar cards,” said Special Inspector General of Police Dattatraya Karale.
Among the identified deceased, four were from Nepal, according to Jalgaon district information officer Yuvraj Patil.
Of the 15 individuals injured in the accident, 10 are still undergoing treatment—nine at Pachora Civil Hospital and one at a medical facility in Jalgaon city—while the others with minor injuries have been discharged.
Pushpak Express Reaches Mumbai; Railway Officials Inspect Jalgaon Accident Site
The Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express arrived at its final destination, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), in Mumbai at approximately 1:20 am on Thursday, a railway spokesperson confirmed.
The Central Railway’s general manager and other senior officials visited the accident site later that night to inspect the scene. They also visited hospitals where the injured passengers were being treated.
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday evening when passengers aboard the Pushpak Express, fearing a fire, jumped onto the adjacent tracks and were struck by the oncoming Karnataka Express. The accident took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, after the Pushpak Express came to a halt around 4:45 pm due to a chain-pulling incident, railway officials said.
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity at the Railway Board, denied any fire or spark inside the coach that caused the passengers to pull the alarm.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a video message from Davos, Switzerland, explained, “Some passengers mistakenly thought smoke was coming out of the train and jumped off. Sadly, they were run over by another train.” The CM announced financial assistance of ₹5 lakh each for the families of the deceased passengers.
The Railway Board also announced an ex-gratia of ₹1.5 lakh for the families of the deceased, ₹50,000 for those with serious injuries, and ₹5,000 for those with minor injuries.
