At least four passengers, including a young child, lost their lives and several others sustained injuries after being struck by an oncoming express train in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district on Sunday. The tragic incident occurred after passengers stepped off a stationary train and moved onto a neighbouring railway track, where they were hit by another train approaching from the opposite direction.
According to railway officials, the incident took place at around 4.15 pm on June 14, 2026, when Train No. 19665 Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express was brought to a halt between Hetampur and Dholpur stations in the Jhansi Division of the North Central Railway. The train was reportedly stopped after a passenger travelling in a general coach, located near the front of the train, activated the Alarm Chain Pulling (ACP) mechanism.
Preliminary reports suggest that after the train came to a standstill, several passengers disembarked and moved onto an adjacent railway track. While the train remained stationary, Train No. 20424 Firozpur-Seoni Patalkot Express was approaching on the up line. The passengers who had moved onto the neighbouring track were allegedly unaware of the approaching train.
As the Patalkot Express passed through the section, it struck several of the passengers who were on the track, resulting in multiple casualties and injuries. The impact caused panic and confusion among passengers and the railway staff present in the area.
In an official statement, the Public Relations Department of the North Central Railway confirmed the incident and said that four people had died after being hit by the Patalkot Express. The statement noted that the passengers had stepped onto the adjacent track while the Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express was halted.
Railway authorities stated that as soon as information about the accident was received, officials from the Railway Administration, the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the Government Railway Police (GRP), and the local civil administration rushed to the site. Rescue and relief operations were immediately initiated, and assistance was provided to the injured passengers.
The authorities further stated that all necessary support was being extended to the affected families and that a detailed investigation had been ordered to determine the exact sequence of events and the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
So far, the deceased have been identified as 35-year-old Afreen, wife of Nadeem Khan and a resident of Agra; her four-year-old son; 60-year-old Shakuntala, also from Agra; and 60-year-old Virma Devi from Rajasthan's Bikaner district. Officials are continuing efforts to verify the identities of all victims and provide assistance to their families.
Eyewitness accounts suggest that panic may have contributed significantly to the incident. A woman passenger travelling on the train said that confusion erupted after someone allegedly pulled the emergency chain and began shouting that a fire had broken out inside the train.
According to her account, passengers became frightened and immediately started getting off the train without fully understanding the situation. In the chaos, many people crossed onto the adjacent track in an attempt to move away from the train.
She stated that while passengers were on the neighbouring track, the Patalkot Express approached from the opposite direction. Before people could react or move to safety, several individuals were struck by the oncoming train, leading to the fatal accident.
The passenger further recalled that an entire family became caught in the tragedy. According to her, the family consisted of a husband, wife, and their two children, and they were among those affected during the confusion that followed the reported fire scare.
Following the incident, railway authorities appealed to passengers to strictly follow railway safety guidelines and refrain from alighting from trains without authorisation, whether the train is moving or stationary. Officials emphasised that stepping onto railway tracks without permission can be extremely dangerous and urged passengers to wait for instructions from railway personnel during emergencies.
The investigation remains ongoing as railway officials seek to establish why the emergency chain was pulled, whether there was any actual fire-related threat, and the circumstances that led passengers to leave the train and enter an active railway track.
