Four killed, six injured after falling off moving local train in Thane
Mumbai (PTI): At least four passengers were killed and six injured after falling off a moving and overcrowded local train in Maharashtra's Thane district on Monday morning, police said.
The incident occurred between Diva and Kopar railway stations when the train was going towards Kasara, a police official said.
The incident occurred probably after commuters hanging from the footboard of two overcrowded trains and their backpacks brushed against each other as the trains passed in opposite directions, railway officials said without confirming the number of fatalities.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed sorrow over the incident and assured that all necessary steps were being taken to support the victims and their families.
An inquiry has been initiated by the Railways into the accident, a statement from the deputy CM's office said.
A police official said that as there was a huge rush during the peak hour, many people were standing at the doors of the train.
While the train was in motion, at least 10 passengers fell down, the official said.
The guard of a train going towards Kasara alerted the railway authorities about the incident, he said.
All the passengers who fell were rushed to a civic-run hospital in Kalwa. Four of them were declared dead on arrival, the official said.
The deceased were in the age group of 30 to 35 years, he said.
The Central Railway's chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila told reporters that eight passengers were found on the railway tracks.
The guard of a Kasara-bound fast local train reported the incident to their control room at around 9.30 am. All the injured persons were rushed to hospital in ambulances by 9.50 am, the official said.
Nila said an injured person informed that commuters fell from local trains travelling in opposite directions after some of those standing on the footboards collided against each other.
He refuted reports that the passengers fell from the Lucknow-bound Pushpak Express which left from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai at around 8.30 am.
Deputy CM Shinde said he was deeply saddened by the incident.
"Thousands of passengers travel on this route every morning. This is a very sad incident. I share the grief of families of the deceased," a statement from Shinde's office quoted him as saying.
The administration has swiftly mobilised medical response units to attend to the injured. Hospitals in Thane and Kalwa have been instructed to provide urgent and comprehensive treatment, the statement said.
"An inquiry has been initiated by the Railways into this accident. This is a very unfortunate incident and the exact cause of the accident will be revealed soon through this inquiry," it said.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena Lok Sabha member from Thane, Naresh Mhaske demanded a probe into the death of passengers.
"The cause of the incident needs to be addressed. How did they fall...was there a crowd, were they pushed, was there a fight," he told a regional news channel.
Mhaske said, "One can understand if it was a crowded local train. But in this case, the tragedy happened in a moving express train. The administration also needs to be alert."
Leader of Opposition in the state legislative council Ambadas Danve in a post on X said the incident of so many people suddenly getting out of the Pushpak Express and resulting in the accident is heartbreaking and serious.
This incident raises questions about railway safety in Mumbai, he said.
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Jharkhand Education Minister Ramdas Soren passes away at 62
Ranchi, Aug 15 (PTI): Jharkhand Education Minister Ramdas Soren died on Friday, JMM national spokesperson Kunal Sarangi said.
He was 62.
Soren was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Delhi, where he was admitted on August 2.
"State Education Minister Ramdas Soren, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi, is no more," Sarangi told PTI.
Soren's condition was critical and he was on life support, Sarangi said.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader was airlifted to the hospital in the national capital from Jamshedpur after he fell in the bathroom of his residence on August 2.
A multidisciplinary team of senior specialists was closely monitoring his condition and providing intensive medical care.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren condoled his death.
Hemant Soren, in a post on X, wrote, "Ramdas Da (brother) should not have left us like this. Last greetings to Dada..."
Ramdas Soren, born in Ghorabandha village in East Singhbhum district on January 1, 1963, began his political journey as the gram pradhan of the Ghorabanda panchayat, eventually rising to become one of the most influential ministers in the Hemant Soren-led cabinet.
He won the Ghatshila assembly seat for the third time in 2024 by defeating BJP's Babulal Soren, son of former chief minister Champai Soren.
ऐसे छोड़ कर नहीं जाना था रामदास दा...
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) August 15, 2025
अंतिम जोहार दादा... pic.twitter.com/5cKZkpIe9Z
