Date 19 August 2013 Country India Trains 1 | Time 08:40 IST (03:10 GMT) Operator Indian Railways | |
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Location Dhamara Ghat, Saharsa district, Bihar | ||
The Dhamara Ghat train accident occurred on 19 August 2013 when the Rajya Rani Express train struck a large group of people at the Dhamara Ghat train station in the Indian state of Bihar. At least 37 people were killed and 24 were injured. The victims were mostly Hindu pilgrims returning from prayers at the nearby Katyayani mandir. The accident triggered a protest by passengers who beat the driver unconscious, attacked staff and torched two coaches of the train. The chief minister of Bihar State, Nitish Kumar, called it "the rarest of rare tragedies". He pledged 200,000 rupees, or around $3,180, to the victims' families, and urged the railway ministry to do the same.
Casualties
According to S.K. Bhardwaj, a senior Bihar police officer, 37 people lost their lives. Among them were 13 women, four children and 20 men. The victims were walking along the tracks at Dhamara Ghat station after disembarking from the Samastipur-Saharsa passenger train when the Saharsa-Patna Rajya Rani Express travelling at 80 km/h, struck them.