NEW DELHI: At least half of the 80 people who lost their lives on Shramik Special trains died of unknown causes, data from the Railway Protection Force revealed.
Of the 80 persons who died, the RPF has reported 40 deaths with remarks that the Government Railway Police (GRP) has taken custody of the body for further action, which includes ascertaining the cause of the death.
A total of 12 persons with listed medical conditions died on the trains while four passed away after falling unconscious.
Twenty-four passengers were attended to by doctors from various railway hospitals but could not be revived. The data was revealed after many migrants complained of hunger as they were not being served food and water on the trains.
The railways, while announcing the operation of the Shramik trains, had said that food and water would be provided to the passengers. Of the persons who died on the trains, only seven had comorbidities.
While two had heart problems, one each died of coronavirus, paralysis and liver problem.
Two were severely ill when they boarded the train while one cause of death has been listed as stomach pain. This is in stark contrast to Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav’s statement on Friday that said:
“Most people who died in the Shramik special trains had co-morbidities and were unwell.”
The data also shows that one person died after he jumped off the train when he realised he was in the wrong one, while one person died after falling in the train’s toilet.
A total of 10 persons died after they were transported to various hospitals following complaints of ill health while one person died after de-boarding the bus at the railway station.
According to the data, which reveals the age of 68 of the 80 deceased persons, the average age of the deceased was 41.5 years. A four-year-old was the youngest to die while the oldest were two 85-year-olds.