Nadeem Khan, a resident of Agra, lost his wife Afreen, 35, and their four-year-old son Ashad in the horrific incident on Sunday. Recounting the tragedy, Khan said panic spread rapidly after someone shouted that a fire had broken out on the Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express.
"A few moments earlier, my wife and son were with me, and then they were gone. My family was destroyed before my eyes," Khan said, describing the chaos that unfolded after the alarm.
According to Khan, he was returning to Agra from Harpalpur with his family, including his wife Afreen, younger son Ashad and elder son, travelling in a general coach of the train. At approximately 4:15 pm, shortly after the train crossed Morena and was moving between Hetampur and Dholpur near Pipri Ka Pura village, a passenger suddenly raised an alarm about a fire onboard.
The announcement caused immediate panic in the overcrowded coach. Someone pulled the emergency chain, bringing the train to an abrupt halt. Passengers rushed to exit the train in an attempt to save themselves.
"My wife got off carrying our younger son in her arms. I began searching for my elder son, who had become separated from us in the crowd," Khan said.
As passengers gathered on and around the railway tracks, tragedy struck within seconds. The Patalkot Express, travelling from Firozpur to Seoni, approached on the adjacent track at high speed.
"Before I could understand what was happening, another train ran over my wife and son before my eyes," Khan said while struggling to hold back tears. He added that had he not been searching for his elder son, he too might have stepped off the train.
Khan later learned that there had been no fire onboard and that the entire panic had been triggered by a rumour.
The deceased have been identified as Afreen, 35, and her son Ashad, 4, both residents of Sultan Ganj in Agra; Shakuntala Devi, 60, also from Agra; and Verma Devi, 58, a resident of Bikaner, Rajasthan.
The aftermath of the accident presented scenes of devastation. Clothes, bags, footwear and personal belongings were scattered across the railway tracks. Bodies and belongings lay strewn over a large area as survivors searched frantically for missing relatives amid screams and confusion.
An official involved in the investigation said the locomotive pilot of the Patalkot Express was unable to spot passengers on the tracks in time because of a curve along the route. The train was travelling at approximately 90 kilometres per hour. Although emergency brakes were applied, the train could not be stopped before impact.
Jhansi Divisional Railway Manager Anirudh Kumar said preliminary inquiries had found no evidence of a fire on the train. He stated that a complaint had indicated a woman passenger pulled the emergency chain and that authorities were working to establish her identity.
"According to the complaint received, a woman passenger pulled the emergency chain. Her identity is being ascertained. A detailed inquiry will be conducted into the incident," Kumar said.
Morena Collector Lokesh Kumar Jangid said reports of sparks and smoke emerging from a coach near the locomotive close to Hetampur station had triggered rumours of a fire, causing widespread panic among passengers.
Following the chain-pulling incident, several passengers disembarked from the train and moved onto the tracks, where they were struck by the speeding Patalkot Express approaching from the Delhi side.
The tragedy has raised serious concerns over panic management during rail emergencies and the deadly consequences of unverified information. As investigations continue, the incident stands as a grim reminder of how a rumour can trigger a chain of events that results in irreversible loss of life.
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