Before Train Rammed Into Crowd In Amritsar, People Stood On Elevated Tracks For Better View

Sixty people celebrating Dushhera were killed after a train ran over the crowd standing on a railway track in Amritsar on October 19. The train was travelling from Jalandhar to Amritsar. The crowd gathered to burn Raavana effigy at Jaura Phatak, where the tracks were on the elevated ground.

As the Raavana was lit and fireworks went off, a section of the crowd moved towards the tracks, where a huge crowd was already standing to watch celebrations.

People who were hit could not see the train due to exploding crackers.

The accident took place at Dhobi Ghat near Jaura Phatak at 6:45 pm. The railway crossing gates were closed and the crossing was manned.

So far, 39 bodies have been identified, said doctors at Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Hospital. It will take time to identify rest of the bodies as people have been cut into people due to fast-moving metal wheels of the train.

Witnesses said the dead included children. There were around 300 people at the accident spot. At least 58 people have been injured and 13 of them are critical.

An eyewitness said no alarm was raised when the train was approaching and blamed the administration. The train driver, who has been detained by the police, said he got the all-clear signal and had no idea that hundreds of people were standing on the tracks when the train crossed the area, news agency IANS reported.