At least 421 people, including 89 women and 46 children, were killed and 366 others injured in 393 railway accidents in 2019. The fatal accidents took place between January 1 and December 31 in several railways across the country, said a recent report. Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum, a platform of journalists, prepared the ‘Annual Railway Accident Report 2019’ based on news carried by 24 national dailies, 10 regional newspapers and nine online news portals and news agencies. Most of the accidents occurred while pedestrians had been crossing railway lines and level crossings.
According to the report, 39 people, including 10 women and four children, lost lives and eight others, including two children, received injuries in 39 accidents in January last. Some 46 accidents took place in February when 43 people, including 10 women and four children, were killed and 22 others, including one woman and 13 children, injured. In March, 38 people lost lives and seven others, including one child, received injuries in 35 accidents. Among the deceased, the number of women and children were six and four respectively.
A total of 23 accidents happened in April who claimed 26 lives, including four women and three children, and left six others, including two children, injured. Some 30 accident occurred in May when 30 people, including eight women and three children, faced death and three others received injuries.
In June, the number of accidents and deaths were 29 and 33 respectively. Among the deceased, nine were women and three children. At the same period, 100 others were injured who were all adult male.
A total of 37 accidents took place in July claiming the lives of 46 people, including nine women and seven children, and leaving 43 others, including one woman and one child, injured. Some 28 accidents happened in August who claimed 29 lives and left 10 others injured. Among the deceased, seven were women and four children. In September, 32 people, including nine women and two children, were killed and seven others, including two children, received injuries in 33 accidents.
A total of 39 occurred in October claiming the lives of 37 people, including three women and three children, and leaving 38 others, including one woman and 11 children, injured. According to the report, 68 people, including 14 women and nine children, were killed and 122 others injured in 54 accidents. Among the injuries, one was woman and one was child. The report said that 27 people were killed and nine others injured in 23 accidents. Among the deceased five were women and five children.
The SCRF president Ashis Kumar Dey said that their observation identified seven major reasons behind the railway accidents in the country. Those are, Unapproved and unplanned rail crossings at places for the sake of smooth road communication, Most of the rail crossings have no guard, Expiry of economic lifetime of most of the locomotives, Using mobile phones while crossing rail line, Faulty signaling system and weak infrastructure, Un stillness and negligence of technical persons and drivers, Lack of adequate manpower and machineries.