Railway Protection Force reports 80 deaths on Shramik trains

There have been almost 80 deaths on board the Shramik Special trains (for stranded migrant workers) between May 9 and May 27, according to data from the Railway Protection Force reviewed by Hindustan Times. The trains were launched on May 1, and till May 27, 3,840 have been run, transporting around five million migrant workers back home.

According to the data reviewed by HT, the deaths were recorded from May 9 till May 27 across several zones including the East Central Railway zone, North Eastern Railway zone, Northern Railway Zone and North Central Railway zone; and the ages of the dead ranged from 4 to 85.…  Nearly 80% of total Shramik trains are destined for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and ply on these zones.

“Heat, exhaustion and thirst are among the primary issues faced by the passengers on board these trains. We have seen several of such cases over the past month,” a zonal railway officer said, requesting anonymity, referring to the 80 deaths reported across the country.