Maharashtra: Train runs over migrant workers in Aurangabad, 16 dead

AURANGABAD: 16 of the 20 migrant workers were killed in their sleep on the railway track near

on Friday morning when they were run over by a goods train at Satana village in the limits of Karmad police station around 5.30 am. Four of them, however, managed to escape with bruises when they immediately jumped aside after they heard the cries and commotion, as they were asleep while maintaining some distance from each other.

The scene at the tragedy’s spot was gory and the blood stained rotis, some torn currency notes, clothes and the victims other belongings were strewn around. On reaching the spot, police and railway administration found it difficult to gather workers’ limbs that too were strewn around, shifted the workers' remains to the government medical college and hospital (GMCH) at Aurangabad for post mortem. Even the four who escaped with bruises and are still under shock too have been shifted to the GMCH.

Jalna collector Ravindra Binwade told TOI, “The workers were employed with Jalna-based steel plant.’’ The collector told TOI that "58 migrant workers were allowed to travel, these workers who had not applied for travel pass when they visited the collectorate on Thursday. They were asked to apply and were assured of passes.” After walking for almost 40 km, the exhausted workers apparently stopped to take some rest near Satana, apparently assuming that no trains were coming on these tracks. And also because, they could be saved from reptiles and other wild creatures, as the railway track is situated above the ground level. The goods train was moving toward Manmad from Nanded.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the tragic accident.

When contacted, Jalna superintendent of police S Chaitanya said, “We have strictly sealed our borders as Buldhana and Aurangabad districts have been marked as red-zones. As a policy matter, we are not allowing any entry or exit sans valid travel pass.”

So as to avoid getting zeroed by the police on the highways, these migrant workers opted for the railway tracks heading Aurangabad. After walking for almost 40 kms, these exhausted workers decided to take rest on the railway tracks at Satana and decided to resume their journey on Friday morning. As the place, where they took a halt, was visibly deserted and they feared snakes and other animals would crawl around, all of them slept on the railway tracks, which are considerably on a height from the ground level.

The goods train that was coming from Nanded and heading towards Manmad, ran over the workers, killing 14 on the spot. Death of two more people was confirmed at GMCH. On learning about the incident, Aurangabad range IGP Ravinder Kumar Singal along with superintendent of police Mokshada Patil, teams from Karmad police station and Railway Protection Force teams rushed to the spot. Citing the call received by the Aurangabad city police control room, commissioner of police Chiranjeev Prasad said, “Aurangabad railway station manager Ashok Nikam informed the police control room that some migrant labourers who were sleeping on the railway tracks have been run over by a goods train heading Manmad from Nanded.”