Tragedy of the train Amritsar: 61 lives lost, a railway official speaks of an intrusion case

At least 61 people were killed and 72 wounded when a crowd of Dussehra revelers spilled onto a railroad track while she watched the incineration of the Ravana effigy was overturned by a nearby train. 'Amritsar last night.

What exactly happened?
According to some officials, the accident would have been caused by a foot rush when part of the crowd headed towards the track to prevent crackers from exploding to the effigy. Just then, two trains arrived from the opposite direction, leaving little time for people to escape. One of the trains crashed into the crowd, killing 61 people and injuring many others.

The diesel multiple unit train was arriving from Hoshiarpur as scheduled at approximately 19:00. According to eyewitnesses, the event would normally have occurred earlier, but this time was delayed, the main guest, former MLA and wife of the Punjab Minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Navjot Kaur Sidhu , arrived late.

Why were people on the slopes?

The tracks of Joda Phatak were on a higher ground which allowed to better see the effigy in combustion. When the fireworks broke, the crowd retreated to the tracks to capture the show. A lot of people were already on the track and the crowd was getting bigger. The noise of the crackers was so loud that it was difficult for people on the tracks to see or hear the incoming train.

Who was responsible?
Opposition parties accused the congressionally-led government of allowing Dussehra's celebrations close to railroads, while rail officials also sought to impose on local government the burden of proof. , claiming that the national carrier had not given any authorization. The railways have called this a case of intrusion. While there were questions in some quarters about why the train did not stop despite the presence of such a large crowd, one official said there was so much smoke that the driver was unable to see anything and he was also negotiating a turn.

According to reports, the police have authorized the organizing committee of Amritsar East, Dussehra, to have burned the effigy near the crossing although it is "too small to accommodate such an attack. crowd".

And now?

State mourning has been declared and all educational offices and institutions are closed in Punjab. The state government ordered an investigation into the incident and set up a crisis management group. The state government also announced compensation of Rs 5,000 for the parents of each deceased and free treatment for the wounded.

The Prime Minister announced an allowance of 2,000 lakhs for the family of the dead and 50,000 rupees for the wounded. He also asked officials to provide immediate assistance. "Extremely saddened by the train crash in Amritsar, the tragedy is heartbreaking," he tweeted.