Local tragedy: 'Killer bag' brushed against passengers, causing deadly fall

Hours after the train accident near Mumbra in Thane district killed four people on Monday, an eyewitness and co-traveller said the tragedy was triggered by a bag worn by a commuter on a passing train which brushed against those hanging on the footboard, causing a domino-like fall.  Dipak Shirsat, a resident of Ulhasnagar in Thane district, lost his friend Ketan Saroj (23) in the accident which occurred when passengers travelling on the footboards of two overcrowded local trains fell off when the trains crossed each on a steep turn.  One of the trains was heading towards Kasara and the other Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai. According to Shirsat, a daily commuter who travelled with the victim Saroj, the two had boarded their usual 8:30 am local train from Shahad. The duo, residents of Ulhasnagar and also colleagues, were en route to their workplace at Airoli in Navi Mumbai, a routine they had followed for years.

"As always, we took the same train and Ketan stood near the footboard. It was very hot, and Ketan was standing outside the compartment after Kalyan, where the train got crowded at Diva. When we passed Diva, the train was packed to the brim," he said while talking to reporters at Thane Civil Hospital. Describing the exact moment of the tragedy, he said, "At the curvature near Mumbra, a bag worn by someone hanging on a footboard of the train coming from the opposite direction brushed against passengers on our train. People started falling one after another. Ketan was one of them."  The eyewitness stated that passengers in the compartment pulled the emergency chain at least three times, but the train failed to halt until it reached Thane station, nearly 12 km away from the accident site. "If the train had stopped when we pulled the chain, some lives could have been saved," he lamented.

Shirsat said he did not pay heed to his friend's advice to stand near the footboard of the overcrowded train, a decision that probably saved his life. "The train was crowded as usual, but I managed to sneak inside the coach, whereas Ketan was standing at the door," he said. Many passengers alight at Kalyan station so the train gets somewhat vacant. Passengers who are inside the coach try to come near the door to get fresh air, a common and risky practice due to overcrowding, Shirsat said.

The train halted at Diva station where it got overcrowded.

"Ketan, who was at the footboard of the train, called me twice to stand near the door with him, but I remained inside," said Shirsat. The tragic incident took place at 9:10 am between Diva and Mumbra stations, a stretch notorious for its sharp curves and overcrowding. According to a Central Railway statement, 13 people fell off the trains of which four died and the others were injured.