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Pushpak Express mishap: ‘Mother told me to jump, couldn’t as I was scared’

By, Lucknow
Jan 23, 2025 03:51 AM IST

A passenger: “The loco pilot applied the brakes sharply. Only after this people panicked. No one knew what had happened. People were just nervous:”

A journey that began with routine expectations turned into a nightmare for passengers aboard the Pushpak Express. The train that left the Lucknow junction around 9:40 pm on Tuesday was caught in chaos as rumours of a fire led to panic, screams, and a scramble for safety.

Officials at the site where 12 passengers of Pushpak Express were hit by Karnataka Express, at Pachora in Jalgaon on Wednesday. (ANI)
Officials at the site where 12 passengers of Pushpak Express were hit by Karnataka Express, at Pachora in Jalgaon on Wednesday. (ANI)

At least 12 passengers were killed on Wednesday evening when they jumped from their train in panic due to a `fire incident’, only to be run over by another train on the adjacent tracks in North Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, officials said.

Pooja Singh, a 19-year-old from Lucknow who studies in Pune, was on the train with her mother when the mishap occurred. “I was travelling with my mother in the Pushpak Express. We were sleeping when people began screaming. Someone said that the train had caught fire. My mother took me near a door and told me to jump, but I was scared and couldn’t. My heart sank as I saw passengers standing on the track getting hit by another train. All this happened so quickly that I could not understand anything.”

Suresh Gupta, who lives in Lucknow’s Chowk area, was heading to Mumbai for business. Recounting the horror, he said: “Someone inside my coach shouted that there was a fire. I also panicked after seeing smoke. People started running here and there. Some people immediately pulled the chain and opened the doors of the coach. In a panic, passengers started jumping from the train.”

Suresh said he decided to stay on the train, and that it was difficult to understand whether the smoke was due to the braking or from fire.

Rajiv Sharma, from Gomti Nagar in the city, said, “I was near a door of sleeper coach when people started screaming saying that the train had caught fire. Then someone pulled the chains. As the train slowed down, people began jumping off... I saw another train coming on the other track and shouted for people to move away. But no one listened.”

Shamim Ahmed of Bahraich, who was travelling with his brother Anees, said the Pushpak Express was moving at a high speed when people felt a strong jolt. “Some passengers fell down from their berths. We were in the reserved coach, so we did not understand what had happened. If people were patient, the accident would not have happened,” he added. The brothers were speaking to this reporter from a relief camp set up by the Army at the accident site.

Anees said: “The loco pilot applied the brakes sharply. Only after this people panicked. No one knew what had happened. People were just nervous.”

Shoaib, who was travelling in the same coach with Shamim and Anees and is a resident of Gonda, said, “There were six members of my family with me. All of us were going to Mumbai. Our train had reached Jalgaon, and everyone was sitting comfortably. As soon as the train stopped, there was a commotion.”

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the deaths in the train accident. “Pushpak train accident is extremely sad and heartbreaking. The injured in the accident should be given proper treatment,” the CM said.

Meanwhile, North Eastern Railways (NER) has set up a helpline at the Lucknow Junction. It can be reached at 8957409292.

Named after the mythological flying chariot Pushpak, Pushpak SF Express runs between Lucknow Junction and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Terminus in Mumbai. With Pushpak Express being the fastest train between Mumbai and Lucknow, it is a preferred way to commute to the metropolis for many.

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