Bihar: Man dies of suffocation in overcrowded Intercity Express, 3 others unconscious

The incident took place between Bakhtiyarpur and Barh railway stations of Danapur Rail division of East Central Railway.

One person was killed and several others fell unconscious after an unprecedented rush of Kanwariyas in the Bhagalpur-bound Intercity Express train caused suffocation for many passengers on Wednesday evening, railway officials said.

Representational image.

The incident took place between Bakhtiyarpur and Barh railway stations of Danapur Rail division of East Central Railway. The deceased has been identified as 41-year-old Ranjit Kumar, a resident of Dalismanchak village of Barh who worked as a daily wage mason in Bakhtiyarpur.

After his day’s work, Kumar boarded the Danapur-Bhagalpur Intercity Express (13402) with other workers to return home. The train was packed with passengers and Kanwariyas. Due to the extreme heat and humidity, he started feeling breathless when the train was near Athmalgola station, eyewitnesses said, adding that Kumar fell unconscious soon after. When the train arrived at Barh railway station, GRP and RPF personnel took him to Barh sadar Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

“Prima facie, it seems the incident happened due to suffocation. The Barh GRP has registered a case of unnatural death, and the body has been sent for postmortem,” a GRP official said, adding that preliminary review stated the cause to be heat-induced unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, East Central Railway (ECR) officials claimed that they are not sure if the passenger died of suffocation or some other health complication. “Postmortem will reveal the exact cause if the person died of suffocation or heart attack,” the official said.