NationStates Jolt Archive

Only in India, I suppose.

A bunch of pilgrims traveling in a train, pull the emergency brakes and stop the train.....to gather water from a holy river. Stupidity 1.

When the train was on a bridge. Stupidity 2.

When there was another track on the bridge...which means there will another train coming in that track. Stupidity 3.

The other train came and some people did not jump and got hit and were killed. Stupidity 4.

The people then get angry and torch railway property and indulge in violence. :headbang:


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lucknow/14_kanwarias_died_in_train_mishap/articleshow/2370773.cms
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh on Friday confirmed death of 14 'kanwarias" in the train accident on the Saryu rail bridge in Gonda district on Thursday evening. While four of them were crushed to death on the spot by the Lucknow-Gonda Inter-City train, two succumbed to injuries later in a hospital. The other eight were drowned in the river after they jumped from the bridge to save themselves.

Giving details, Singh said that on Thursday evening when the Gonda-Lucknow passenger train reached Katra-Shahbazpur railway crossing, some passengers cut the vacuum pipe. When the train stopped, some kanwarias got down and were walking towards the other track on the bridge. At this moment, the Inter-City Express, which was going from Lucknow to Gonda, arrived on the bridge. Before the kanwarias could react, four of them were mowed down. Among those injured and admitted to hospital, two succumbed to injuries later. Moreover, of a large number of kanwarias who jumped into the Saryu to avoid being crushed, eight were drowned.

Twelve of the deceased have been identified. They are Hanuman Pathak, Krishna Kumar Pandey, Muneshwar Prasad Tiwari, Daddu, Shailendra Kumar, Nimre, Nanke, Shiv Kumar, Vinod, Arvind Shukla, Monu alias Rahul and Shiv Kumar.

All of them were residents of Gonda.

Infuriated over the accident, a large number of kanwarias who were taking bath two kilometres away, damaged a fire tender parked nearby and set fire to a railway cabin. They pelted stones at the police who reached there and tried to demonstrate with two bodies. Later, the police brought the situation under control and the road and train routes were opened for traffic at 2 am on Friday.

Meanwhile, infuriated over some delay on part of the authorities in handing over the bodies of the deceased after autopsy, family members of the victims went berserk at the morgue in Gonda on Friday and indulged in stone pelting on passing vehicles. The situation was, however, promptly brought under control by the police.

Police then made arrangements for prompt disposal of the bodies and even arranged for transport on the demand of some of the kins of the victims.

Before the kanwarias could react, four of them were mowed down.

How the fuck does a train sneak up on you?

Unless it's something along the lines of the Austin Power's movie...
"Get out of the way!"
"Aaaaaahhh!"
"Move!"
"Noooooooo!"
:D

i dont know if its an "only in india" story but its certainly a "read it and realize you dont have a clue about the culture in which it took place" story.

i dont know if its an "only in india" story but its certainly a "read it and realize you dont have a clue about the culture in which it took place" story.

well, nowhere else do people go around collecting water as part of pilgrimmage...to my knowledge.

well, nowhere else do people go around collecting water as part of pilgrimmage...to my knowledge.

its more the blaming the train for the deaths of the pilgrims that boggles my mind.

its more the blaming the train for the deaths of the pilgrims that boggles my mind.

I'm still puzzled as to how they got hit by it in the first place. It's a two lane bridge right?

I'm still puzzled as to how they got hit by it in the first place. It's a two lane bridge right?

bad things happen on train tracks all the time.

with the train running making noise and them being all excited about the holy water from the river they probably didnt notice until it was way too late.

bad things happen on train tracks all the time.

with the train running making noise and them being all excited about the holy water from the river they probably didnt notice until it was way too late.

In short, our gene pool is a little cleaner.

Only in India, I suppose.

A bunch of pilgrims traveling in a train, pull the emergency brakes and stop the train.....to gather water from a holy river. Stupidity 1.

When the train was on a bridge. Stupidity 2.

When there was another track on the bridge...which means there will another train coming in that track. Stupidity 3.

The other train came and some people did not jump and got hit and were killed. Stupidity 4.

The people then get angry and torch railway property and indulge in violence. :headbang:


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lucknow/14_kanwarias_died_in_train_mishap/articleshow/2370773.cms

Agghhh!

I'm still puzzled as to how they got hit by it in the first place. It's a two lane bridge right?

It is. But bridges are usually narrow with just enough space for the two trains to go. Longer bridges have some projections where 2/3 persons can stand and avoid the train. Maybe this bridge did not have one..or the people standing could not reach them in time..or were too dazed or panicked to realise they can go to safety there...

Some people are really naive and ignorant...very very simple people.

bad things happen on train tracks all the time.

with the train running making noise and them being all excited about the holy water from the river they probably didnt notice until it was way too late.

Yes, the stopped train running. No one would notice the other tracks shaking, or the whistle, or a huge fucking train coming straight for you.

Yes, the stopped train running. No one would notice the other tracks shaking, or the whistle, or a huge fucking train coming straight for you.

its not that NO ONE would; its that they had other things on their minds.

you might think that these were especially stupid people but train accidents happen all the time all around the world. thats why they have to install automated crossings with gates even for pedestrian crossings. double tracks are even more dangerous. i dont understand it; i just know that its true.

So is drowning in holy water a really holy death, or have you just unholied the water?

I think this has more to do with bad use of the emergency brakes.

Every time I've heard of Indian trains, the emergency brakes are almost always used and almost never used in actual emergencies.

That will lead to the train stopping at places where it really shouldn't.

Like a bridge.

Essentially, it needs to be taught that emergency brakes are for emergencies only.

The evil train! My goodness, they're killing the devout!:p

The evil train! My goodness, they're killing the devout!:p


lol, why would you stop on a train for water?? don't they have water on the train??

lol, why would you stop on a train for water?? don't they have water on the train??


wait, what am i saying?!? of course theres water on trains!!

wait, what am i saying?!? of course theres water on trains!!

Yes, but that water doesn't have holes in it, which is apparently what they wanted.

well, nowhere else do people go around collecting water as part of pilgrimmage...to my knowledge.

Lourdes?

Provided the only people killed in this incident were the pilgrims, then I'm fine with it. The assholes got what they deserved, and maybe the next group will bring along some really long poles with jugs at the other end and not ruin everyone else's travel plans.

well, nowhere else do people go around collecting water as part of pilgrimmage...to my knowledge.


Lourdes...

well, nowhere else do people go around collecting water as part of pilgrimmage...to my knowledge.

Since when don't Catholics collect Holy Water?

I gotta' agree with Fiddle, stupid jackholes staring at some water getting hit by a train could actually get turned into a pretty funny comedy, actually.

The evil train! My goodness, they're killing the devout!:p

Christ, I'm sure if this was in the US they would have spun this on the fox network saying, "muslim train driver murders innocent pilgrims!"

Since when don't Catholics collect Holy Water?

catholics dont collect holy water.

catholics dont collect holy water.

I was one and I did. We collected Holy water from the church to have at home.

I was one and I did. We collected Holy water from the church to have at home.

what did you DO with it?

i have never heard of doing that.

Since when don't Catholics collect Holy Water?

But we don't throw ourselves in front of a train to get that Holy Water. ;)

Seriously, there won't be much of an issue made of this b/c there wasn't a dead Christian amongst them. And according to the evils of every sect of Christianity, especially us diabolical Catholics, it's a good thing they died. After all, we followers of Jesus hate non-believers. :p

But we don't throw ourselves in front of a train to get that Holy Water. ;)

Unless the train has the pope on it and a hose in the front spraying out water the pope is blessing.

I've honestly never understood how anyone could be struck by a train. When I was ten years old, I wondered.

I've honestly never understood how anyone could be struck by a train. When I was ten years old, I wondered.

Trains are fucking fast.

Unless the train has the pope on it and a hose in the front spraying out water the pope is blessing.

No, even then, the non-fancy-dressed members of the Swiss Guard are pushing us out of the way.

Trains are fucking fast.

There are some crossings that are poorly lit and maintained, so those are a bit more understandable, but most of the time it's not. If you're driving, or walking, and come upon a railraod crossing, you utilize your vision. It's that simple.

At least some died because of sheer stupidity so they won't continue to taint the gene pools. Unfortunately, we protect stupid people on this side of the planet :(.

There are some crossings that are poorly lit and maintained, so those are a bit more understandable, but most of the time it's not. If you're driving, or walking, and come upon a railraod crossing, you utilize your vision. It's that simple.

I don't think you understand the actual speed we're talking about here.

http://www.answers.com/topic/i-love-lucy-the-great-train-robbery-tv-episode?cat=entertainment

Read the article. They didn't pull the emergency brakes, they CUT a vacuum pipe.

So these vandals board a train and disable it on a bridge, then step onto the tracks and get hit by a train coming from the opposite direction...

well, nowhere else do people go around collecting water as part of pilgrimmage...to my knowledge.

Let's see, how many can I think of off the top of my head in addition to Lourdes...

Lots of pilgrimages associated with Mary involve collecting water.
Muslims collect water from Zamzam Well, that's a part of the Hajj.
In Japan, there's Miyajima, which is a pilgramage site for both Shinto and Japanese Shingon and Shugendo Buddhism.

And if you broaden it just a bit, to just visiting watery places, there're thousands.

Sounds like plenty of candidates for Darwin Awards to me.

Sounds like plenty of candidates for Darwin Awards to me.

Took the words right from my fingers.

Trains are fucking fast.

Not always, the old Rimutaka Incline in New Zealand was so slow that people would get off the train, take pictures, and walk back on board

Sounds like plenty of candidates for Darwin Awards to me.

Agreed, or to borrow the words of Ebenezer Scrooge it has decreased the surplus population.