Scary Stats! 15 People Die Everyday On Railway Tracks Across India
The RTI data further revealed that during the same period 12,598 passengers were injured after falling off trains. Most injured passengers were from Central Railway (4,532) followed by Western Railway (3,449).
In four years, 15 persons were killed on railway tracks across the country every day, according to a reply to an RTI query from the Railway Board. Between 2014 and the end of March 2018, a total of 23,013 passengers were killed while trespassing railway tracks, alighting from running trains or falling off trains while standing close to the door. The data was collected from Government Railway Police of various states.
AFP/Representational Image
According to the data, the highest number of casualties (3,874 deaths) was reported from South Central Railway zone, which covers Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntakal, Guntur and Nanded, followed by East Central Railway (3,748 deaths) which covers Danapur, Dhanbad, Mughalsarai, Samastipur and Sonpur, Central Railway (3,333 deaths) covering areas like Mumbai, Bhusawal, Pune, Solapur and Nagpur; Western Railway (2384) covering Mumbai west, Ratlam, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Vadodara; Northern Railway (2,127); North Central Railway (1,738); Eastern Railway (1,085), North Eastern Railway (775) and so on. North Western Railway had the lowest number of deaths, at 278.
BCCL/Representational Image
The RTI data further revealed that during the same period 12,598 passengers were injured after falling off trains. Most injured passengers were from Central Railway (4,532) followed by Western Railway (3,449).
A Railway Board official on condition of anonymity said, ¡°Nearly 60% of casualties were caused due to trespassing on railway tracks, followed by falls from running trains (13%) and 25% due to other reasons.¡±
BCCL
According to Agra division GRP data, 579 passengers fell off running trains at Agra, Mathura, Firozabad, Aligarh, Hathras, Etawah, Mainpuri, Etah and Kasganj districts between January 2014 to November 2017.
Also in GRP Agra division, 703 people died of several illnesses, including heart attacks and asthma, in trains over the last four years. In a majority of cases, the patient died before medical aid from railway authorities could reach her.
Reuters
Another senior Railways official said, ¡°Many campaigns are run every year to generate awareness about travelling safely. Announcements are made at all stations asking passengers not to stand near coaches but they still risk their lives to do it. In cases of medical emergency, the railways is always on the alert and we take prompt action once information reaches the nearest station. Nowadays even the Twitter handles of the DRM and GM help victims to contact railway authorities for immediate help.¡±
It is interesting to note that according to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data, in 2015, 18,259 people died after falling from running train or in collision on railway tracks. A total of 21,399 such accidents were reported.
