Four people were killed in separate railway accidents within 24 hours in the Vasai railway police jurisdiction, while a fifth person was found dead in what police described as a natural death, according to a report by Loksatta. The incidents occurred between the evening of November 11 and the morning of November 12 across the Vasai-Virar suburban rail corridor of Western Railway.
The first incident was reported at Virar railway station at around 6 pm on November 11, when a 35-year-old man was found dead on the station premises. The report identified this death as natural, while the circumstances of the other four deaths were linked to railway accidents.
At around 10.45 pm the same night, a 65-year-old person was killed after being struck by a train while crossing the tracks between Vasai and Nalasopara. At approximately 11 pm, a separate accident in the same stretch left 30-year-old Sanjay Rai seriously injured. He later died while receiving treatment, the report said.
The fourth railway-related death occurred at around 8.40 am on November 12 between Vaitarna and Virar. A 61-year-old person was hit by a train and died at the spot. At around 10.30 am, 35-year-old passenger Dilip Mishra died after falling from a moving train near Vasai railway station.
Railway police have started the process of identifying and locating the relatives of the deceased. According to the report, the relatives of two of the deceased had been traced, while efforts to locate the families of the other victims were continuing.
The deaths have brought renewed attention to safety risks along the heavily used suburban railway corridor serving Virar, Nalasopara, Vasai and Naigaon. The report attributed the rise in accidents partly to growing crowding on suburban trains and unsafe passenger behaviour. During peak periods, some passengers travel while hanging near train doors, increasing the risk of falls. Track crossings also remain a direct source of fatal accidents.
The Vasai railway police jurisdiction has recorded 153 deaths so far this year, according to information cited from the police. The figure includes deaths recorded in the jurisdiction and places the latest incidents within a continuing commuter-safety concern rather than as isolated events. Police and railway authorities are continuing the process of identifying the deceased and contacting their families.
