Mumbra train tragedy: How rejecting friend’s advice saved man’s life — witness says ‘killer’ bag caused deadly fall

Not taking a friend’s advice saved Dipak Shirsat his life as the Mumbra train tragedy unfolded. While Shirsat came out safe, his friend Ketan Saroj died when passengers of two passing trains collided near Mumbra railway station. Several passengers travelling on the footboards of two overcrowded local trains fell off when the trains crossed each other on a steep turn.

One of the trains was heading towards Kasara and the other Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai.

Here’s what happened

Shirsat, a witness to the mishap, said he travelled with Saroj daily.

The two had boarded their usual 8:30 am local train from Shahad. The duo, residents of Ulhasnagar in Thane district and also colleagues, were reportedly en route to their workplace at Airoli in Navi Mumbai, a routine they had followed for years.

Shirsat said on Monday that Ketan stood near the footboard of the train and had advised Shirsat to do the same.

According to news agency PTI, 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.

“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,” Shirsat said while talking to reporters at Thane Civil Hospital.

“The train was crowded as usual, but I managed to sneak inside the coach, whereas Ketan was standing at the door,” he was quoted by PTI as saying. “Passengers who are inside the coach try to come near the door to get fresh air, a common and risky practice due to overcrowding,” he added.

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 on Monday 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.

The mishap took place when passengers travelling on the footboard on a local train from Kasara and similarly those on a train going towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai, collided with each other and fell.

‘Killer’ bag

Shirsat described the exact moment of the tragedy, saying, “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,” he said.

The eyewitness said 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.