Eleven dead in Indian rail accident after panic deboarding

At least 11 people died in a rail accident in India's western Maharashtra state on Wednesday when they disembarked from their train, fearing a fire, only to be hit by another train passing on the adjacent track, local media reported.

Railway officials told local media that someone had pulled the train's alarm chain, causing it to come to a halt, after which several passengers deboarded onto the adjacent tracks and were mowed down by another passing train.

"As per the information, 11 people have died in the accident and 5 others are injured," a senior railways official in Nashik region, Praveen Gedam, told ANI news agency.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said ambulances had been dispatched to the spot and arrangements were being made to treat the injured.

"Emergency equipment like glass cutters, floodlights etc have also been kept ready," he said on messaging platform X.

Indian railways is the fourth largest train network in the world and is undergoing a $30 billion upgrade, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to boost connectivity.

However, rail accidents in the last two years, including a collision in 2023 that killed at least 288 people, have tarnished its image.

India plans to bump up spending on the modernisation of its railways in the federal budget, to be presented next month, Reuters reported earlier this week.