A heart-wrenching accident took place at Chunar Railway Station in Mirzapur around 9:30 AM when the Kalka Express ran over a group of pilgrims crossing the railway tracks. The tragic incident resulted in the death of six pilgrims, while two others were critically injured.
As per initial reports, the victims were on their way to the Ganga Ghat for a sacred bath on the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima, an important festival in the Hindu religious calendar.
A passenger train from Chopan had arrived at platform number 4, and soon after deboarding, several pilgrims attempted to cross the tracks to reach the opposite side, instead of using the foot overbridge.
While the pilgrims were crossing near platform number 3, the Kalka Express, which did not have a scheduled halt at Chunar, passed through the station at high speed.
Before the pilgrims could react, the train struck them, leading to a devastating scene. The impact was so severe that the bodies were badly mutilated.
Soon after the incident, teams from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) arrived at the site.
The authorities cleared the tracks, collected the remains, and sent them for post-mortem. An official investigation has been launched to verify the exact casualty count and determine how the tragedy occurred.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed deep grief over the loss of lives and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.
He directed officials to immediately reach the accident site and speed up relief and rescue operations.
The CM ordered SDRF and NDRF teams to take charge of rescue efforts and instructed medical authorities to ensure proper treatment for the injured, wishing them a quick recovery.
