MUMBAI: Four passengers died and two others suffered grevious injuries after falling from an overcrowded local train at Diva near Thane in Maharashtra.
The incident occurred between Diva and Kopar railway stations when the overcrowded train was going towards Kasara, an official said.
As there was a huge rush during the peak hour, many people were standing at the doors of the train, he said, adding that, while the train was in motion, at least 10 passengers fell down.
Among the deceased commuters, one of them was a 34 years old railway police named as Vikky Babasaheb, who was travelling with his spouse while the others were Rahul Gupta (28), Ketan Saroj (23) and Mayur Shah (50).
The incident took place at 9.30 am at Diva in Thane. The passengers were standing over the foot-over of the local train doors. The deceased were in the age group of 30 to 35 years.
"It is not a collision. In this incident, the passengers travelling on footboards in trains in opposite directions got entangled. This is one of the suspected reasons for the incident, as informed by a passenger. The distance between two trains is 1.5-2 meters, but on curves, a slight tilt happens, and this could be an additional reason for the incident," said Swapnil Dhanraj Nila, CPRO, Central Railway.
An eyewitness reported that this was not the first incident at this precise location.
“This is an accident‑prone spot where commuters frequently fall. There is a sharp curve where trains traveling in opposite directions come very close. Overcrowded passengers inevitably brush against each other,” said the commuter.
“If the train picks up speed, more people could be seriously injured or killed. Also, due to overcrowding, the train tilts on this narrow curve, which worsens the hazard. Despite several complaints to the railway authorities, no action has been taken.”
According to a Central Railway press release, around eight passengers fell from a suburban local train between Diva and Mumbra stations at approximately 09:10 hrs on Monday. The incident was first reported by the Train Manager of a Kasara–CSMT local.
“Emergency response teams, including ambulances and railway medical staff, were immediately dispatched,” the release stated.
“Injured passengers were taken to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalva and Civil Hospital in Thane for medical attention.”
Unfortunately, four individuals lost their lives, and several others are still receiving treatment. “Central Railway deeply mourns the loss of lives and extends heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased,” the note added.
Preliminary railway inquiry indicates that the victims were traveling on the footboard. As a preventative measure, new trains will now be air‑conditioned and equipped with automatic door‑closure systems. Additionally, the Railway Board has decided to retrofit all existing suburban trains with similar door‑closure mechanisms.
Preliminary investigations are underway to determine the exact circumstances that led to this tragedy. Nevertheless, train operations along the section have not been disrupted.
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director for Information and Publicity at the Railway Board, stated that following this tragedy, the Ministry has mandated automatic door‑closure systems in all new local train rakes manufactured for the Mumbai suburban network.
“All existing rakes in service will be redesigned and fitted with door‑closure facilities,” he added.
NCP SP Sharad Pawar slammed the central railway for shrugging off the responsibility and pinning the blame over the passengers for this tragic incident. He said that it is the responsibility of the railway to look after the safety and security of the passengers; they cannot get away by making baseless statements.
(With inputs from PTI)