Jalgaon: 13 killed as passengers of Pushpak Express hit by another train

The tragedy unfolded when passengers onboard the 12533 Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express, fearing a blaze, hastily jumped onto the adjacent tracks and were run over by the oncoming Karnataka Express heading from Bengaluru to Delhi, they said.

As many as 15 other passengers were injured in the accident, which took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora town in North Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, when Pushpak Express halted after someone pulled the chain around 4.45 pm, Central Railway officials said.

The chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "Some passengers in the train mistakenly assumed that smoke is coming out of the train and they jumped. Unfortunately, they were ran over by another train."

He announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kin of the passengers who died in the tragedy, while the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Central Circle, will probe the circumstances leading to the accident.

Pushpak Express departed from the spot in just 15 minutes, while the Karnataka Express was removed within 20 minutes after the accident, a Railway official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his condolences to the families of the passengers killed in the accident and wished for the speedy recovery of all the injured.

"Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav has expressed deep sorrow over the incident. He took complete information about the incident from the Railway Board chairman and other officials and gave instructions for proper treatment of all the injured," a statement issued by the Railway Board said.

"Some passengers pulled the emergency chain and got down on the tracks, leading to the tragedy," he said.

Visuals of the spot show mutilated body parts lying along a stretch of the railway track.

Residents of nearby villages rushed to the spot to offer help.