16 migrant workers sleeping on rail tracks crushed by goods train

The workers were walking along rail tracks to their home state Madhya Pradesh. Photograph: ANI

 

• Migrant workers were walking along rail tracks to their hometown in MP.
• Prez, PM condole loss of lives. MP, Maharashtra CMs announce ex gratia; Railways orders probe.

 

New Delhi, May 8 (PTI): Sixteen migrant workers sleeping on rail tracks while returning to Madhya Pradesh were crushed to death by a goods train in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra on Friday, police said..

 

Four other migrant workers survived in the accident which took place at 5.15 am near Karmad, around 30 km from Aurangabad, police said.

 

A video clip from the scene of the tragedy shows the bodies of migrant workers lying on the tracks and nearby with their meagre personal belongings scattered around.

 

District police chief Mokshada Patil told PTI that the survivors had tried in vain to wake up their colleagues who had slept on the track after a overnight walk from Jalna, around 40 km from the accident spot.

 

The workers, who were walking to Bhusawal from Jalna along rail tracks, were returning to their home state Madhya Pradesh, an official at the Karmad police station told PTI.

 

They were sleeping on rail tracks due to exhaustion when they were run over by the goods train coming from Jalna, he said.

 

"The labourers, working in a steel factory in Jalna, left for their home state on foot last night. They came till Karmad and slept off on the tracks as they were tired," police officer Santosh Khetmalas said.

 

Three of the four were sleeping some distance away from the rail tracks, police said.

 

The migrant workers, rendered jobless due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown and desperate to go to their native places, were walking along the rail tracks apparently to escape police attention.

 

President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu condoled the death of migrant workers in the accident

 

The President said he was saddened beyond words over the deaths.

 

'Saddened beyond words to learn about the loss of lives in the railway track accident near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. Wishing speedy recovery to the injured,' the President said on Twitter.

 

'Deeply saddened to learn about the loss of lives in a train mishap in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families,' Naidu said on Twitter.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the death of 14 migrant workers in the train accident. He said all possible assistance is being provided.

 

Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh governments announced financial aid of Rs 10 lakh -- Rs 5 lakh each -- to families of the deceased.

 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed grief over the death of migrant workers and announced a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh each to their families.

 

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan condoled the death of the migrant workers from his state and announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to their families.

 

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar termed the death of the migrant workers as heart-wrenching and said the Centre must work closely in unison with state governments to ensure labourers reach their homes safely.

 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also condoled the death of 16 migrant labourers and said one should be ashamed of the treatment meted out to 'nation builders'.

 

In a tweet in Hindi, he said, 'I am shocked at the news of the killing of labourers after being crushed under a goods train. We should be ashamed of the treatment being meted to our nation builders. My condolences to the families of those killed and I pray for the early recovery of the injured.'

 

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also termed the incident as extremely sad and disturbing and demanded that adequate compensation be given to the families of those who died.

 

'During the nation-wide return of labourers, the incident that took place in Aurangabad is extremely sad and disturbing,' she said.

 

In a tweet in Hindi, she said the lockdown has 'destroyed' the lives of the poor.

 

'They have no means to make a living. All the families who suffered in this incident should get compensation and all possible help,' she said.

 

Railways orders comprehensive probe

 

The Railways has ordered a comprehensive probe into the accident.

 

What is being probed is the role of patrolmen who are tasked with keeping trespassers away from tracks and also alert the nearest station about any incident.

 

'Ram Kripal, Commissioner of Railway Safety, South Central Circle, will hold an independent inquiry into today's labourers runover incident in Parbhani-Manmad section of Nanded Railway division of South Central Railway,' the Railway Ministry announced.

 

While the railways does not treat these incidents as 'railway accidents' and terms runover cases as 'trespassing', there have been instances in the past where it has offered ex-gratia to the next of kin of a victim on sympathetic grounds.

 

In the 2017 Elphinstone bridge collapse incident in which 23 people were killed and 39 injured in Mumbai, the railways had given ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of those killed in the incident, Rs 1 lakh for those seriously injured and Rs 50,000 to people who suffered simple injuries.

 

The railways has not yet announced any ex gratia in the Aurangabad accident.