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Time of India
24-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Mumbra probe: Man with bag may've slipped, hit opp train's footboard travellers
Mumbai: The fall of eight commuters from two fast trains at Mumbra on June 9 may have been triggered by a footboard traveller with a shoulder bag losing balance, according to preliminary findings of an investigation being carried out by a five-member team set up by Central Railway. Five of the passengers died, reports Manthan K Mehta. It occurred around 9 am when a Kasara–CSMT train and a CSMT–Karjat local passed each other near signal posts at nearly 75 kmph. Investigators reconstructed the sequence using CCTV footage from earlier stations. Sources said the commuter, who was on the footboard of the second last coach of the Karjat-bound train, appeared to lose balance, possibly due to a shift in position while adjusting or holding onto his bag. This loss of balance led to a fellow passenger falling with him. Both then reportedly collided with commuters on the oncoming local, resulting in some of them falling off. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The distance between two crossing local trains is just 0.75 m or 2.46 ft, which offers little room for misjudgment, especially for footboard travellers. The June 9 Mumbra tragedy may have been triggered by accidental fall of some travelling footboard even on a train that was not crowded, according to preliminary findings of an investigation by Central Railway. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Unwelcoming Countries in the World, Ranked BigGlobalTravel Undo It occurred at around 9 am near signal posts 40/405 and 40/401, during the simultaneous movement of two fast suburban locals: train no. N-10 (Kasara–CSMT) heading up on the Thane line, and train no. S-11 (CSMT–Karjat) on the opposite track. "The incident occurred in the train heading in the non-peak direction, which is usually less crowded. But CCTV footage from earlier stations reveals it wasn't empty as one might assume," a senior CR official said. The trains crossed each other at speeds nearing 75 kmph. "At that velocity, even a minor loss of balance can be fatal, as the body is thrust outward and may strike against the train on the adjacent track," an official added. Investigators, working with limited visual evidence, reconstructed the sequence of happenings using CCTV footage from earlier stations. All eight victims were reportedly standing on the footboard when they lost balance. Five of them died, while three others sustained injuries, some inside one of the coaches. While the five-member panel of CR officers is probing technical and human factors behind the incident, a parallel investigation has been launched by Mumbai railway police under an assistant commissioner of police with a 10-member team. The absence of CCTV coverage at the site of the incident, coupled with inconsistent survivor testimonies, has made the task complex. In order to gather more information, CR had issued a public appeal from June 15 to 17, inviting eyewitnesses to come forward. The response, was poor: only five people reached out, and none could provide direct insight into the critical moment of the accident. "Most inputs were general comments on crowding. No one could describe the actual fall," a CR official said.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Time of India
CCTV, eyewitnesses unable to explain Mumbra deaths, CR sets up probe panel
MUMBAI: More than 24 hours after the Monday morning rush hour Mumbra tragedy in which four commuters died and nine others were injured — some after falling off two passing local trains and others while inside the compartment — Central Railway (CR) is still to conclusively determine what led to the unprecedented accident on the city's suburban railway network, reports Manthan K Mehta. In the absence of clear CCTV footage or inconclusive eyewitness accounts, the cause remains a mystery. CR on Tuesday set up a five-member committee of senior officials to investigate, but did not specify a deadline. They will examine all possibilities, including overcrowding, brushing of bags, possible quarrels, or passengers on footboards losing balance at a curve. Cops tracked another man injured in the incident to a private hospital in Diva, taking the count of injured to 10. Central Railway on Tuesday set up a five-member committee of senior officials to investigate the sequence of events leading to the Mumbra tragedy. The probe panel includes the senior divisional security commissioner, senior divisional mechanical engineer, senior divisional electrical engineer, senior divisional engineer, and the senior divisional operations manager. CR's chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said, "There is no fixed deadline, but the committee has been asked to submit its findings at the earliest. " A senior RPF official said, "We have reviewed CCTV footage from the platform, but it doesn't offer much insight as the view was blocked by the trains themselves." Adding to the mystery, officials said even the injured commuters have been unable to provide clear accounts of how they fell. "There is talk of passengers being flung and colliding with the opposite train, but nothing is confirmed yet," an official said. The incident occurred at the Diva end near Mumbra rilway station. Preliminary observations suggest the incident occurred when two fast locals—a Kasara-CSMT train and a CSMT-Karjat one—crossed each other ahead of the curve. It is suspected that shoulder bags or luggage brushing against passengers could have destabilised those on the edge. CR has not imposed any additional speed restrictions on the stretch following the accident. Of the 13 commuters involved in the mishap, 11 were aboard the Kasara-CSMT fast local, while two were on the CSMT-Karjat train. Of the deceased, Vicky Mukhyadal and Mayur Shah were in the CSMT-Karjat train, while Ketan Saroj and Rahul Gupta were travelling on the Kasara-CSMT local. An official said scratch marks were found on the exterior of the Kasara-CSMT train's last coach. "It appears that a passenger's bag may have grazed the coach of the opposite train, which may have triggered the incident," the official said. Meanwhile, the local staff from Mumbra railway station who attended to the mishap victims are likely to be called in for questioning. The railway police, guided by the assistant commissioner of police, railways, CSMT, on Tuesday inspected the spot where the victims were found following the mishap to look for clues. - Inputs by Manoj Badgeri
