13 killed, several injured in train accident near Maharashtra’s Pachora
Passengers on the Pushpak Express panicked over a suspected fire and were struck by the oncoming train Karnataka Express while disembarking.
At least 13 persons were killed and 10 others injured on Wednesday after they stepped off a moving train near Pachora in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district and were struck by an oncoming train, The Hindu reported.
The accident took place around 5.30 pm near the Pachora Railway Station when passengers on the Pushpak Express, from Jalgaon to Mumbai, panicked over a suspected fire.
“The death toll has risen to 13,” Dr Vijay Gaikwad, medical superintendent of the Jalgaon Government Medical College and Hospital, told the newspaper. “Of them, four are women and nine are men.”
The injured, including three who were in a critical condition, were admitted to hospitals in Pachora.
According to Jalgaon Superintendent of Police Maheswar Reddy, the train pilot had applied brakes suddenly near Paradhade village, causing sparks. Some passengers sitting at the doors mistook the sparks for a fire and jumped onto the tracks where they were hit by the oncoming Karnataka Express, the newspaper quoted Reddy as saying.
Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in an unfortunate incident near Pachora in Jalgaon district. My deepest condolences to the affected families. 🙏
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 22, 2025
My colleague Minister Girish Mahajan and the Superintendent of Police are already at the site, with the District Collector… https://t.co/MbS8rCdzDu
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his condolences and assured prompt assistance.
Fadnavis said: “The tragic incident of the loss of lives in a very unfortunate incident near Pachora in Jalgaon district is deeply distressing. I pay my heartfelt tributes to them. My colleague Minister Girish Mahajan and the Superintendent of Police have reached the spot, and the District Collector will reach there shortly.”
He added that the district administration, in coordination with railway authorities, had arranged treatment for the injured in local hospitals, dispatched ambulances and prepared emergency equipment such as glass cutters and floodlights. “We are monitoring the entire situation, and all necessary assistance is being provided immediately,” he said.
“The state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the heirs of those who died in the unfortunate accident in Jalgaon district, and the state government will also bear the entire expenses of the injured,” Fadnavis said in a second post on X.
