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The locomotive pilot who was driving the freight train that was involved in the Aurangabad train incident had tried to warn workers on the track by honking the train’s horn, the railway ministry said on Friday. He also tried to stop the train after seeing the men, the ministry said.
At least 16 migrant workers were crushed into a Maharashtra freight train until early Friday morning after they fell asleep on the tracks.
“The incident occurred, even when the crazy freight train pilot honked his horn as soon as he noticed that the group of people was violating the train tracks and also made every effort to stop the train,” the ministry said.
Incidentally, the average speed of freight trains, which is normally around 24 km per hour, has also more than doubled during the closure period, as the suspension of passenger trains has decongested the rail network.
A high-level investigation led by the Commissioner for Rail Safety (South Central Circle) has been ordered to investigate the incident and uncover the cause. “The Railway Safety Commissioner will conduct an independent investigation into today’s worker run-over incident in the Parbhani-Manmad section of the Nanded Rail division of South Central Railway,” the ministry said.
Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal is closely monitoring the situation and reporting on steps taken in this regard, he added.
According to the railways, the workers left Jalna at 7pm on Thursday and initially walked down the highway and then headed towards Aurangabad. After walking about 36 kilometers, these workers began to feel tired and sat down on the track between Karnad and Badnapur railway stations to get some rest and gradually fell asleep soundly.
“In an unfortunate event that occurred in the early hours of May 8, around 5:22 am, a group of people who were sleeping on the train tracks were hit by a freight train that was heading towards Mandmad. The incident occurred between Badnapur and Karmad stations in the Parbhani-Manmad section of the Nanded Division, ”he added.
Five other wounded were taken to the Aurangabad Civil Hospital, the railways said. The accident occurred between Jalna and Aurangabad at the Nanded Division of the South Central Railway in the Karmad Police Station area of the Aurangabad district.
“Of the group of about 19 people, 14 died on the spot and 2 died from injuries later. A person with minor injuries is being treated at the Civil Hospital of Aurangabad, “said the ministry.
The Maharashtra Prime Minister’s Office (CMO) announced on Friday an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who died in the Aurangabad train accident.
According to a senior official, the railways do not consider accidents that occur due to external factors such as “rail accidents” and therefore are not required to provide ex gratia relief to the families of the victims. “It is provided only in accidents involving the railroad, such as the derailment of trains, etc. In this case, the states and the Center are likely to provide relief,” the official said.
“Extremely distressed at the loss of life due to the railway accident in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. I have spoken to the Minister of Railways, Shri Piyush Goyal, and he is closely following the situation. All necessary assistance is being provided, “said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Opposition parties alleged that the Center’s transportation policy of providing buses and trains to transport migrant workers during the Covid-19 blockade was poorly designed.
“It is obvious that the transportation policy of providing buses and trains to transport migrant workers was poorly designed, planned, coordinated and implemented. Once the policy was announced, the government should have come to the rescue of the hikers and provided them with buses or trains to continue their journey. The tragedy that happened this morning could have been avoided if governments had rescued migrant workers in time, ”said Congressman Rajya Sabha, P. Chidambaram.
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