In the early hours of the morning, a freight train mowed down several people who were sleeping on the rail tracks. The accident is known to have occurred at Gadhejalgaon village between Badnapur and Karmad railway stations in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district. At least 16 people died in the accident and five are believed to have been injured. Three others sleeping away from the tracks escaped unhurt.
The deceased and the injured were migrant workers employed at a major steel plant in the neighbouring district of Jalna. They were walking from Jalna to Bhusawal to board a Shramik train to Madhya Pradesh.
An inquiry has been ordered under the aegis of the Commissioner of Railway Safety. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the deceased’s kin. The Maharashtra government has announced a similar relief to the families of the deceased.
President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted that he was “saddened beyond words” to learn about the accident and wished the injured a “speedy recovery”. PM Narendra Modi too expressed sorrow over the incident in a tweet and said that Railways Minister Piyush Goyal is monitoring the situation.