LUCKNOW: At least six devotees were killed on Wednesday morning at Mirzapur’s Chunar railway station when the Kalka Mail Express ran over them. According to initial reports, 7–8 pilgrims were struck by the speeding train around 9:30 am on Platform No. 3, leaving 6 people dead and several others critically injured. The exact death toll is yet to be confirmed by railway officials.Eyewitnesses said the devotees had arrived by a passenger train from Chopan, which halted at Platform No. 4. As they began crossing the tracks to reach Platform No. 3, the Kalka Express—running at full speed and without a scheduled stop at Chunar—passed through. Before the pilgrims could move away, they were struck by the train, leading to a horrific scene. Several bodies were mutilated due to the impact.
The devotees were reportedly on their way to Varanasi for the Kartik Purnima holy bath and rituals. Following the incident, chaos gripped the station, and railway officials, along with local police, rushed to the spot. Injured persons were immediately taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, while rescue and recovery operations are underway.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the incident and expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families. He directed senior officers to reach the site without delay and expedite relief efforts. The chief minister has also instructed the SDRF and NDRF teams to assist in rescue operations and ensure prompt medical care for the injured.CM Yogi further prayed for the swift recovery of the injured and assured that all necessary assistance will be extended to the victims’ families.Further updates are awaited as officials assess the situation and identify the deceased.Yogi Adityanath also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who died in the Mirzapur train accident.Additional DG, Varanasi Zone, Piyush Mordia has confirmed six deaths while talking to TOI.According to the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the North Central Railway Zone, the accident took place shortly after the arrival of the Chopan–Prayagraj Express (Train No. 13309) at platform number 4. Instead of exiting the station via platform number 3 using the foot overbridge, some passengers chose to trespass across the railway tracks as a shortcut. Unfortunately, they were struck by the Kalka-bound Netaji Express (Train No. 12311), which was passing through Chunar Junction at the time.The spokesperson’s office confirmed that additional personnel from the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) were immediately deployed to the site. Despite the incident, train operations at Chunar Junction have not been affected.The bodies of the victims have been sent for post-mortem examination, and authorities are taking further steps to prevent such incidents in the future.
