Maharashtra train accident toll rises to 16; politics heats up

AURANGABAD/NEW DELHI: At least 16 migrant labourers have died after a goods train ran over a group of workers asleep on the railway tracks early on Friday in Maharashtra's Aurangabad. The home-bound exhausted lot were run over between Jalna and Aurangabad, officials said.

A Railway Ministry official told IANS: "At least 14 people died on the spot and two were injured in the incident. The injured persons admitted in the hospital later succumbed to their injuries."

The migrant workers were trying to return to their rural homes in Madhya Pradesh.

The official said that one person, who received minor injuries is being treated at Auranagabad Civil hospital. A senior railway official confirmed that the migrant group was run over by the goods train running in the Nanded Division of South Central Railway.

The incident happened around 5.22 a.m. when the migrants, who were on their way back to their homes fell asleep on the railway tracks.

Images from the scene of the accident showed the tracks strewn with footwear, food and other personal belongings of the workers.

According to the railway officials, the group of the migrants were hit by an empty petroleum tanker train, which was proceeding from Cherlapalli in Telangana to Paniwadi, near Manmad in Maharashtra.

"After passing Badnapur station, the locopilot saw some people on the tracks and tried to control it and sounded the horn also, but by the time he could do, it was too late," South Central spokesperson Ch. Rakesh told IANS.

"An enquiry has been ordered by the Commissioner, Railway Safety (South Central Circle)," he added.

A senior railway ministry official in Delhi said that those run over by train are labourers and residents of Madhya Pradesh's Umarya and Shahdol and worked in SRG Company in Maharashtra's Jalna.

He said, as per the statements of the survivors, the group had left Jalna on Thursday at 7 p.m. on foot initially on road upto Badnapore and later on the track towards Aurangabad.

"After walking for about 36 km, they became tired and sat on the track to take some rest and gradually fell asleep," he said, adding that 14 people sat on the track, two members adjacent to the track and three members away from track.

He said that senior officials of the Nanded division and the Government Rail Police (GRP) and local police had rushed to the accident site. (IANS) 

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