61 run over on Amritsar rail tracks
Tragedy at Dasehra festivities as onlookers mowed down by train
Amritsar, October 19
As many as 58 persons (61 according to PTI) were killed and over 40 injured on Friday evening after a crowd of Dasehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of the Ravana effigy was run over by the 74643 Jalandhar-Amritsar Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) near Joda Phatak area.
At least 300 persons were watching ‘Ravana dahan’ at a ground near the tracks and as the effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd started retreating towards the tracks where a large number of people were already standing to watch the event, officials said.
Eyewitnesses said two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time (the Howrah Mail from Amritsar on the other track), giving little opportunity to people to escape.
Several people were mowed down by one of the trains, they said.
Wails and cries of people filled the air as friends and relatives frantically looked for their near and dear ones. Severed bodies, including of many children, were still lying on the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing authorities to remove them.
It was a heart-rending sight as the dismembered body parts laid strewn on the blood-soaked ground. Many bodies could not be identified.
There was shock and disbelief as panic-stricken people recounted the horror. “I have lost my minor child. I want him back,” an inconsolable mother could be heard.
“Several times we have been requesting the authorities and leaders to take up the issue with railway authorities to slow down the trains near this phatak during Dasehra, but no one has listened,” a local said. Another said people could not hear the sound of the train. — TNS
Rail services suspended
New Delhi: All services on the Jalandhar-Amritsar route remained suspended three hours after the tragedy. A railway official said while some trains are being diverted, many are stationed near Jalandhar. Railway officials termed the dead as “trespassers” and said they were unlikely to get any compensation from the national transporter as they were not passengers. PTI
State mourning today
- All offices, educational institutions in Punjab to remain closed on Saturday
- Railways helpline numbers — 0183-2223171, 0183-2564485
- PM announces Rs 2 lakh for family of dead, Rs 50,000 for the injured
- MoS, Railways, Manoj Sinha, reached the spot late at night. The train driver, whose identity is withheld, is being questioned
Permission ‘not sought’
Was permission sought and granted to burn Dasehra effigies near the railway tracks? Soon after the tragedy, the MC Commissioner said it wasn’t. The CM said the administration will look into why the effigy was erected next to rail tracks, but MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu said Dasehra celebrations took place at the spot every year. Railways should have ensured trains slow down, she added. TNS
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DONATION ACCOUNT
SANJHA MORCHA DECIDED TO DONATE Rs 20000/- AS FINANCIAL AID FOR THOSE KILLED IN UNFORTUNATE RAIL ACCIDENT . CONSOLIDATED AMOUNT IF RECIEVED WILL BE HANDED OVER TO CM PUNJAB WITH LIST OF THOSE DONATED AND CAME TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO THE FAMILIES IN DISTRESS ESPECIALLY LABOUR CLAS.
DETAILS OF ACCOUNT OF SANJHA MORCHA AS UNDER
Bank Details:
Name Of Account:
Ex-Servicemen Joint Action Front(Sanjha Morcha)
Account No: 7386000100000193
Name of Bank: PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK
RTGS/IFSC Code(for e transfer): PUNB 0738600
Postal Address of Bank: SCO145,SECTOR 40C CHANDIGARH(U.T)160036
Helpline numbers
The administration has issued a helpline number, 0183-2421050, to enquire about mishap victims. Those who want to donate blood have been called at the Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. The helpline numbers for donating blood are 0183-2223171 and 2564485.
Free medical aid
The SGPC swung into action and sent its team to assist in the rescue operation at Jaura Phatak near Golden Avenue. SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal announced that the injured would get free medical aid at Sri Guru Ram Dass Charitable Hospital in Vallah.
