Eight passengers in total fell from speeding local at notorious bend as Railways probe mystery behind tragedy. Four commuters died and nine were injured after falling off two passing trains near Mumbra station on a steep curve. Central Railway has launched a probe; multiple theories are being investigated.
As the trains enter sharp curve, both lean slightly inward. The reduced gap between the trains puts commuters at extreme risk
Four commuters died and nine were injured after falling off two speeding local trains near Mumbra station on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 8.58 am on a steep curve at the Kalyan end of the station — a known tilt point for fast-moving trains.
Screengrabs of videos taken by commuters after the Mumbra tragedy unfolded yesterday
According to officials, eight passengers fell off a CSMT-bound local train near Mumbra. Shortly after, five more injured commuters were found onboard when the same train halted at Thane station following a chain-pulling alert.
Railway officials said they are investigating all angles, as there is no clarity on how eight people could have fallen off. Pics/Rajendra B. Aklekar
Of the eight who fell, four were declared dead. The Central Railway has launched an inquiry, even as multiple, conflicting theories have surfaced over what exactly triggered the mass fall. The train was reportedly travelling at around 55 kmph when the incident occurred.
The Central Railway has announced an inquiry led by Principal Chief Safety Officer CK Prasad. Information is being gathered from various sources to understand what happened. At the time, two trains were passing each other — one from Kasara to CSMT and the other from CSMT to Karjat. Most of the victims are believed to have been on the CSMT-bound train.
Two local trains approach each other on parallel tracks near a steep curve between Mumbra and Diva
“Following the incident, the CSMT-bound train was stopped due to chain-pulling about 2 km ahead of Mumbra. It then halted at Thane station where five injured commuters were deboarded,” said Dr Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer of Central Railway.
Several passengers, already at the edge, lost their balance and were flung off onto the tracks below
All the victims were ferried to Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital, Kalwa, and Civil Hospital, Thane by 9.50 am. While train operations remained unaffected, Railway officials said they are investigating all angles, as there is no clarity on how eight people could have fallen off simultaneously.
As the trains sped ahead, victims lay motionless on the tracks while shocked passengers pulled the chain to stop the CSMT-bound train
“There are multiple theories, but nothing is confirmed yet,” Dr Nila added.
Theories floating around
>> Wrong train theory: Initial speculation that the passengers fell off the 12534 Pushpak Express was officially denied.
>> Brush-past theory: Some believe commuters from both local trains brushed against each other, leading to the fall.
>> Fight theory: RPF sources said a scuffle inside the train may have triggered the fall.
>> Selfie stick theory: One account suggests someone’s selfie stick got entangled with the passing train.
>> Vomiting theory: Another says someone leaned out to vomit and triggered a chain reaction.
>> Train scraped theory: Yet another theory emerged in the evening after the train involved in the incident was seen with scraped sides, sparking fresh speculation that either an oversized object was being carried on one of the trains or the two trains brushed against each other.
Scraped marks spotted on train
Railways consider shutting train doors
In a hasty reaction, the Railway Board has said it will explore retrofitting non-AC local trains with closed-door systems. However, a similar attempt in 2006 failed due to low oxygen levels in packed trains. “We will test how this can work in non-AC coaches,” a CR spokesperson said.
Timeline of the incident
8.58 am
Incident reported near Mumbra
9.10 am
First two victims taken to hospital by autorickshaw
9.30 am
Two more victims taken to another hospital
9.40 am
Four others taken by ambulance
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