NAHSIK: It was smoke that perhaps sparked rumours of a fire, which caused panicked passengers to jump out of Pushpak Express, only to be crushed under the wheels of the oncoming Karnataka Express on the adjoining track, said survivors and passengers of the Lucknow-Mumbai train who were witness to the tragedy that took place near Pachora station in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district.
The unreserved coaches of the train were packed to the hilt, and chaos ensued as soon as the train stopped. Jagmohan Paswan, a 48-year-old survivor, said: “There were many vendors in our coach. One of them shouted that a fire had broken out in a coach. Seconds later, the train stopped and everyone came rushing to squeeze out of the two doors. My relative, Uttam Paswan, too, jumped out and sustained head & leg injuries.”
Paswan said those killed and injured had jumped out of the door on the right side of the coach. Uttam was among them, but survived, he said, adding those who exited from the left door, including himself, were unharmed.
Sanjeev Singh, who was on his way to Shirdi, said: “We were sitting when suddenly people started screaming about a fire. There was some smoke emanating, but not from a fire. However, this caused chaos, and a few seconds later, the train pulled to a stop. I went to the door and saw people jumping out and coming under the train on the next track. I saw eight to ten bodies on the other track.”
“Our coach was intact and people in AC coaches were mostly safe. I am not sure if the smoke was from pantry or braking,” he said.
Md Mulin (42), whose relative Md Bilal sustained injuries in the right leg, said there was hardly any space in the coach they were travelling in. “Even the doors were blocked by passengers standing there. Suddenly, everyone rushed towards the doors.” Recounting the heart-rending sight before him on jumping out, he said: “I saw dismembered bodies on the adjacent track. I will not forget what I witnessed.”
According to some survivors, the loco pilot of Karnataka Express stopped the train after seeing passengers from Pushpak Express jumping out. Had it not stopped, the toll would have been higher, they said. Residents of Pachora town and villages near the accident site reached the spot to help.
