23 January,2025 12:09 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
People at the site following the death of several passengers after they stepped down due to a rumour of fire and were run over by Karnataka Express passing on the adjacent tracks, in North Maharashtra`s Jalgaon district. (Pic/PTI)
At least four out of the 13 persons killed in the Jalgaon train accident have been identified as hailing from Nepal, authorities said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI.
Authorities said, a minor boy and two women were among the four Nepalese victims.
At least 13 persons were killed and 15 injured after some passengers of the Mumbai-bound Pushpak Express, who got off the train after an alarm chain-pulling incident, were run over by the Karnataka Express on the adjacent tracks in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district on Wednesday evening.
"Of the 13, we have identified eight bodies so far, including two from their Aadhaar cards," Special Inspector General of Police Dattatraya Karale told PTI.
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Out of the eight identified deceased, four were from Nepal, Jalgaon district information officer Yuvraj Patil said.
As per the list provided by authorities, the four Nepalese victims have been identified as Kamala Navin Bhandari (43) (who lived at Colaba in Mumbai), Javakala Bhate (60) (who resided at Bhiwandi in Thane), Lachchiram Khataru Pasi (40) and Imtiyaz Ali (11), PTI stated.
Out of the injured persons, 10 are currently undergoing treatment. Nine at the Pachora civil hospital and one at a medical facility in Jalgaon city. Patil said, the others who suffered minor injuries were discharged.
A Central Railway personnel team on Wednesday night visited the hospitals and distributed a total ex-gratia of Rs 2.70 lakh to nine of the injured passengers, an official said.
Central Railway officials earlier stated that the accident took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora town in north Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, when the Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express halted after someone pulled the chain at around 4:45 pm on Wednesday.
Fearing a fire incident, some passengers onboard the Pushpak Express, hastily jumped onto the adjacent tracks and were run over by the oncoming Karnataka Express heading from Bengaluru to Delhi, officials said.
However, the Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, Dilip Kumar, denied that any spark or fire inside the coach caused passengers to pull the alarm.
In a video message from Davos in Switzerland, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said, "Some passengers in the train mistakenly assumed that smoke is coming out of the train and they jumped. Unfortunately, they were run over by another train," stated PTI.
Maharashtra government announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the passengers who died in the Jalgaon train tragedy.
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 wounds and Rs 5,000 for simple injuries.
(With inputs from PTI)
