At least 11 people were killed in a rail accident in Maharashtra, a western state in India, on Wednesday after passengers disembarked from their train, fearing a fire, and were struck by another train on an adjacent track, local media reported.
Railway officials said the incident occurred when someone pulled the train’s alarm chain, causing it to stop. Several passengers exited the halted train onto the parallel tracks, where they were hit by a passing train.
“According to the information available, 11 people have died in the accident, and five others are injured,” Praveen Gedam, a senior railway official from the Nashik region, told the ANI news agency.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said ambulances were dispatched to the scene, located about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Mumbai, India’s financial hub. Efforts were underway to provide medical treatment to the injured.
“Emergency equipment such as glass cutters and floodlights have also been prepared for use,” Fadnavis said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Indian Railways, the fourth-largest rail network in the world, is undergoing a $30 billion modernization effort as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to improve connectivity across the country.
Despite the upgrades, safety concerns remain. In 2023, a train collision killed at least 288 people, raising concerns about the safety of the network. Reports earlier this week suggested India is planning to increase its spending on railway modernization in the upcoming federal budget.
