Mother told me to jump, couldn't as I was scared

A journey that began with routine expectations turned into a nightmare for passengers aboard the Pushpak Express.

- HT Correspondent

LUCKNOW: The train that left the Lucknow junction around 9:40 pm on Tuesday was caught in chaos as rumours of a fire led to panic, screams, and a scramble for safety.

At least 12 passengers were killed on Wednesday evening when they jumped from their train in panic due to a 'fire incident', only to be run over by another train on the adjacent tracks in North Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, officials said.

Pooja Singh, a 19-year-old from Lucknow who studies in Pune, was on the train with her mother when the mishap occurred. "I was travelling with my mother in the Pushpak Express. We were sleeping when people began screaming. Someone said that the train had caught fire. My mother took me near a door and told me to jump, but I was scared and couldn't. My heart sank as I saw passengers standing on the track getting hit by another train. All this happened so quickly that I could not understand anything."