Twin accidents claim 12 lives in MP, Maharashtra
In two separate accidents involving a train in Madhya Pradesh and a bus in Maharashtra, 12 people lost their lives on Sunday. A rumour of fire on board the Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express train turned to be fatal for three women and a boy, who jumped out on tracks and were run over by another long-distance train in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, officials said.
The incident occurred around 4.15 pm between Hetampur and Dholpur section of Jhansi railway division, they said. These passengers hurriedly got off the train following a chain pull caused by the fire rumour, an official said. While in Solapur in Maharashtra, eight people, including four women and four children, were killed while seven others were injured when a pick-up vehicle carrying them plunged into a roadside well.
Police said 15 people were travelling in the vehicle when the incident occurred near Tandulwadi village.
“Four passengers of the Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express (19665) jumped off a general coach, second from the engine, after panic spread over reports of a fire,” North Central Railway’s Jhansi division Public Relation Officer Manoj Singh said.
Just then, the Patalkot Express (20424) from Firozpur in Punjab to Seoni in MP, was passing on the adjacent tracks, he added. The four passengers who alighted from the train, failed to notice the approaching train and were run over by it, leading to their deaths.
The incident triggered panic among other passengers, and railway authorities and police were alerted immediately, he said. The exact cause behind the incident is being probed, Singh said.
As per the preliminary information in the Solapur accident, the pick-up vehicle carrying 15 people fell into a roadside well after the driver lost control. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident and announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person. Describing the accident as “extremely unfortunate and tragic”, Fadnavis stated, “I offer my heartfelt condolences to the deceased and share the grief of their families”.
