Jalgaon tragedy: Eyewitness recounts how a tea seller's rumour turned into tragedy
Recounting the chaos, an eyewitness said that it was a tea seller who falsely claimed there was a fire and pulled the train’s emergency chain
PTC News Desk: A sheer rumour that turned into a tragic incident and 13 people were crushed to death in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district. Passengers of the Pushpak Express tragically lost their lives after a fire rumour sparked panic through passengers. In order to save their lives, passengers jumped off the train and were struck by an oncoming train.
Eye witness of the incident has shared harrowing details of the unfortunate incident. Recounting the chaos, an eyewitness said that it was a tea seller who falsely claimed there was a fire and pulled the train’s emergency chain, prompting passengers to jump off the train in fear of their lives.
“A tea seller started the rumour by claiming the train had caught fire. He himself pulled the emergency chain, and as the train slowed down, passengers began jumping out in a desperate attempt to save their lives.”
The witness further said, “Some people jumped directly onto the track where the Bangalore Express was passing, and tragically lost their lives as they were crushed.”
The eyewitness also asserted that a worse situation has been averted as some passengers jumped off the train in the opposite direction which had no railway tracks. "If they had jumped on the track side, the death toll would have been even higher," eyewitness added further.
The death toll from the train accident in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district on Wednesday has climbed to 13. The Pushpak Express, which runs from Lucknow to Mumbai, was near Jalgaon when rumours of a fire aboard one of its coaches caused panic among passengers.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expressed grief over the accident and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lkah each for the families of the victims.
The Railway Ministry announced ex gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh each for the kins of the deceased in the Jalgaon train accident.
"Ex gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh each has been announced for the kins of the deceased in the Jalgaon train accident, Rs 50,000 to the people who are seriously injured and Rs 5,000 to the people who have sustained minor injuries," as per an official statement from Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's office.