Aurangabad railway accident
| Aurangabad railway accident | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 8 May 2020 0515 - 0630 hours (UTC+05:30)[1][2] |
| Coordinates | 19°52′33″N 75°33′30″E / 19.87583°N 75.55833°E |
| Country | India |
| Operator | Indian Railways |
| Owner | Indian Railways |
| Cause | Death by impact |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Pedestrians | 17 |
| Deaths | 16 |
| Injured | 1 |
On the morning of 8 May 2020, an empty goods train ran over and killed sixteen migrant workers sleeping on or by the tracks near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. One additional worker sleeping nearby was injured.
Background
The Indian government announced a nationwide lockdown on 24 March to control the COVID-19 pandemic. This caused job losses for migrant workers in multiple cities, many of whom have no formal contracts. The government stopped train services, making it difficult for these labourers to travel home. Consequently, many of them had to walk home.[3]
Accident
A group of 20 labourers were walking from steel factories in Jalna, Maharashtra, to their homes in Umariya and Shahdol districts of Madhya Pradesh. After walking 40 kilometres (25 mi) along a minor road, they reached the railway tracks at Badnapur at about 0330 hours on 8 May 2020. Exhausted, they slept on and near the tracks, believing that no trains were running due to the lockdown.[4]
An empty goods train from Cherlapally in Hyderabad was heading towards Paniwada in Maharashtra. The locomotive driver realised that people were laying on the tracks only 160 metres (520 ft) away from them. The train was moving at 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph), and despite applying the emergency brakes, it was unable to stop before hitting the workers. The fourteen sleeping on the tracks were killed instantly, while three nearby were injured, two of whom later died in hospital.[4]
Reactions
 |
- Indian Railways ordered an inquiry to be headed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety.[4]
- The Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh state governments announced ₹5 lakh (equivalent to ₹5.9 lakh, US$7,100 or €7,200 in 2023) as compensation for the relatives of the deceased victims.[5]
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish and offered 'all possible assistance'.[5]
- Prime Ministerial Candidate Rahul Gandhi queried why migrants were still walking home and stated that “we should be ashamed of treating the nation-builders like this”.[5]
- CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a tweet that “the death of these poor labourers is solely due to the sudden announcement of a lockdown and denial of transport to them for weeks, while not providing a substantive relief package”. He described the Central government's actions towards migrant workers as "criminal".[2][5]
- CPI General Secretary D Raja said that "migrant workers are being treated in a most inhumane manner by the government". Terming the deaths a 'deliberate killing', he accused the government of having "practically left them to fend for themselves without any aid or help”.[6]
- Former Finance Minister and Indian National Congress politician P. Chidambaram accused the Central and State governments of being oblivious of the fact that thousands of migrant workers were still walking back to their home States.[6]
- Shiv Sena minister Sandipan Bhumre and MLA Ambadas Danve met the survivors in hospital.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Migrant workers crushed to death by goods train in Aurangabad". Deccan Chronicle. Aurangabad. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ a b "കുടിയേറ്റ തൊഴിലാളികളുടെ മരണത്തിന് ഉത്തരവാദിത്തം കേന്ദ്രത്തിന്; അവര്ക്ക് യാത്ര പോലും നിഷേധിച്ചു". One India. 9 May 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ Ara, Ismat (29 March 2020). "'No Work, No Money': Thousands Stranded on Anand Vihar Bus Stand". The Wire.
- ^ a b c Siddique, Iram (8 May 2020). "Aurangabad train accident: They thought no trains were running, loco driver spotted them too late to stop". The Indian Express. Aurangabad. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Not an accident, by any stretch". The Telegraph. New Delhi. 9 May 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Opposition slams Centre for Aurangabad migrant workers deaths". The Hindu. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.