58 killed as train runs over people
Trains from opposite direction give no space for people watching Ravana effigy
Amritsar, Oct. 19: At least 58 people were killed on Friday after a train plowed into revellers gathered to watch burning of Ravana effigy in Amritsar, police said.
The train hit a crowd standing on the railway line to watch a fireworks show during Dasara celebrations, police and eyewitnesses said.
“There was a lot of noise as firecrackers were being let off and it appears they were unable to hear the approaching train,” a police official at the scene told AFP.
An eyewitness told a local TV channel there was “utter commotion” when the crowds noticed the train “coming very fast” towards them.
“Everyone was running helter-skelter and suddenly another train crashed into the crowds of people,” he said.
Sub divisional magistrate Amritsar I Rajesh Sharma said 58 people have died and at least 72 injured have been admitted to Amritsar hospital.
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.
However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape, 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 heart rending sight as the dismembered body parts laid strewn on the blood-soaked ground. Many bodies could not be identified.
People shouted slogans against local MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was present as chief guest during the event. She later said she rushed to the hospital immediately after the incident.
Amritsar, Oct. 19: The train accident on Friday took a political turn with the Opposition accusing the state’s Congress government for lapses in allowing celebrations near railway tracks and Punjab minister Navjot Sidhu’s wife facing allegations of leaving the site after the incident.
Ms Sidhu, who was the chief guest at the event, later talked to media at a hospital where injured were taken and said her priority was to ensure they receive proper treatment.
“The effigy of Ravana was burnt and I had just left the site when the incident happened. Priority should be to get the injured treated,” she said. She also asked people to refrain from politicising the issue.
Union minister and Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the entire onus was on the state government. “There are not enough words to mourn the Amritsar train tragedy that claims so many innocent lives. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. The incident needs to be probed as it casts serious question on administration,” she tweeted.
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said the initial reports suggest it was a tragedy that could have been avoided.
Another Akali leader Bikram Majithia said he was distressed to hear the news of the mishap.