How a fire rumor led to the deaths of 13 Pushpak Express passengers in Jalgaon
The passengers on Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express deboarded the train and either tried to cross the train in an unsafe manner or were standing on the tracks. Due to this, they were hit by the incoming Karnataka Express.
Thirteen people travelling on the Pushpak Express were killed, and fifteen others were injured after they were run over by the Karnataka Express in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra on Wednesday evening. The victims had stepped out of their halted train between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora, 400 km away from Mumbai, and were hit by the Karnataka Express, travelling on the adjacent track.
CREDIT: ANI
Rumors of fire forced passengers to stop the train
Railway authorities said that the tragedy was the result of a rumoured fire onboard the Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express.
"A few passengers pulled the alarm chain on Pushpak Express and deboarded the train. Bengaluru-New Delhi Karnataka Express was coming from the other side," a Railway official said.
According to the official, the passengers deboarded the train and either tried to cross the train in an unsafe manner or were standing on the tracks. Due to this, they were hit by the incoming Karnataka Express.
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¡ª Manjeet Ghoshi (@ghoshi_manjeet) January 22, 2025
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¡ª Ravi Pandey?? (@ravipandey2643) January 22, 2025
A major accident has taken place near Paranda Railway Station in Jalgaon #Maharashtra . Passengers jumped from the train amid rumors of fire in Pushpak Express. During this time, many passengers died after being hit by another train. #PushpakExpress #Jalgaon #Rumor pic.twitter.com/ZMrGm4szGy
What eyewitnesses said
An eyewitness told local media that panic gripped passengers after some of them saw sparks flying from the wheels of the train when brakes were applied.
"Some passengers pulled the emergency chain and got down on the tracks, leading to the tragedy," he said.
CREDIT: ANI
'There was no fire outbreak'
Railway authorities, however, have ruled out claims that there was a fire outbreak.
"Our preliminary information is that there were sparks inside one of the coaches of Pushpak Express due to either a 'hot axle' or 'brake-binding' (jamming), and some passengers panicked. They pulled the chain, and some of them jumped down on the tracks," a Railway official said.
"Based on the information that we have received, no spark or any fire was noticed in the coach," Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, told PTI.
The Railway Board separately announced an ex gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for grievous injuries, and Rs 5,000 for minor injuries.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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