Morena, Jun 15: A day after four passengers were run over by a train after disembarking in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena, officials on Monday said the loco pilot and the victims failed to spot each other due to a blind curve on the rail route.
A 4-year-old boy and three women were killed when they jumped off the Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express in panic following a false fire alarm and emergency chain pulling and were run over by the Patalkot Express on the adjacent tracks in Morena district on Sunday, as per officials.
“There is a big curve. The passengers standing on an adjacent track and the loco pilot of the approaching train could not spot each other in time,” North Central Railway’s Jhansi Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Anirudh Kumar told PTI over the phone on Monday.
“The loco pilot of the Patalkot Express applied brakes after noticing people on the tracks, but by then it was too late,” Kumar said, citing the near-spot circumstances.
A railway employee patrolling near the site immediately rushed there after learning of the incident and relayed information to the railway authorities, he said.
Kumar rushed to the spot to study the scene on Sunday, comforted the families of the deceased and ordered a probe headed by their senior divisional safety officer into the incident.
“The probe panel will have five to six heads of different departments. “It has been asked to hand over its report as soon as possible,” he added.
Initial financial help has been given to the families of the deceased, and more assistance will be provided to them, the official said. “We are working on it,” he added.
According to Kumar, the incident was triggered by rumours of a fire in the Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express (19665), following which passengers pulled the emergency chain and the train came to a halt.
Four passengers — three women and a four-year-old boy — got off the train in panic and moved onto an adjacent track, where they were struck by the Patalkot Express (20424), which was on way from Firozpur in Punjab to Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, he said.
The passengers apparently failed to notice the approaching train and were run over, resulting in their deaths.
The incident took place between Hetampur and Dholpur stations in Morena under the Jhansi railway division.
Two of the deceased women and the child were residents of Agra, while the third woman hailed from Bikaner, officials said. (PTI)
