Mumbai: At least four passengers died, whereas over a dozen suffered injuries after falling off a crowded moving train near Mumbra station in Thane district Monday morning. Visiting the site later, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said that at least five people died in the incident even as the police said four people died. At least a dozen persons injured in the incident are now under treatment at different hospitals in Mumbra and Thane.
The Central Railway officials said that prima facie, the passengers on the footboard of the down train towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) collided with those standing on the footboard of a Kasara-bound train headed in the opposite direction on the parallel track.
Speaking to the media, Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila said that the guard of the Kasara-bound train reported at 9.30 am that some injured passengers were lying along the tracks near the control room at CSMT. He, however, did not know from which train the passengers had fallen.
“It is not a collision of trains. People travelling on the footboard of a local train towards Kasara and those similarly travelling on a train going towards CSMT collided with each other and fell,” he said. “The distance between the two trains was 1.5-2 metres, but at curves, a slight tilt happens, which could have been another reason for the incident.”
According to railway officials, the train was overcrowded, and hence, people stood on footboards. A police team and railway officials immediately rushed to the spot, and an investigation is currently underway.
How to prevent such accidents
The railways, soon after the incident, decided to provide automated doors for all new and existing Mumbai suburban train rakes shortly, Swapnil Nila told the media.
Currently, the Mumbai suburban trains have open doors. Many passengers during peak hours stand on the footboard.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said to the media, “The incident in which a total of eight passengers fell from a local train between the Diva and Mumbra stations, resulting in some fatalities, is extremely unfortunate. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the deceased.”
He added: “The local administration is coordinating efforts on the ground. I pray to god for the swift recovery of the injured. The railway department has initiated an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.”
Speaking to the media, MP Shrikant Shinde acknowledged that many people now lived in Kalyan on the Dombivali side. With that, he said, “The availability of trains needs to go up and should be done quickly.”
There have been sharp political reactions to the incident.
Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal, in a statement to the media, said, “These deaths are not by accident. These people became victims at the hands of the government. For the past 11 years, the people of Maharashtra and Mumbai have been listening to empty promises about improved infrastructure and smoother commutes for Mumbaikars.”
“In the name of development and facilities, it has become a game of awarding tenders and collecting commissions. The ruling officials and contractors have grown richer through this nexus, while ordinary citizens are paying for this corruption with their lives.”
Shiv Sena UBT and NCP(SP) have expressed anguish over the incident, too. Sharad Pawar, in an X post, said that the growing population of Mumbai needed appropriate facilities.
“On an average 6-7 people die every day after falling off from local trains. It is not right to blame the passengers for this incident. Central Railway should plan well and take timely action against this. The trains on important routes should be increased. Fitting automated doors on trains should be done timely,” wrote Sharad Pawar.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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