New Delhi: Nearly 22,000 people were killed in railway accidents across the country in 2023, according to a report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The NCRB report reveals that 21,803 people were killed in 24,678 railway accidents in the country in 2023.

Among the states, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh reported the highest fatalities, reported Press Trust of India. The data indicates that among all railway accidents in 2023, 56 cases were due to the fault of the driver, while 43 train accidents took place owing to mechanical defects such as poor design, track faults, or bridge or tunnel collapse.

The report also reveals that incidents of 'fall from trains or collision with people at track' constituted the largest chunk of railway accidents (74.9%) (18,480 out of 24,678) while a 15,878 people died due to either 'fall from trains or collision of trains with people at tracks', which constituted 72.8% of total deaths in railway accidents.

Maharashtra has accounted for 29.8% (5,507 cases) of total cases of 'fall from train or collision of trains with people at track'.

Overall, a total of 24,678 cases of railway accidents were reported, showing an increase of 6.7% during 2023 over 2022 (23,139). As a result of the accidents, 3,014 people sustained injuries and 21,803 people were killed in 2023, said the NCRB report.

The most number of railway accidents were reported in Maharashtra accounting for 22.5% (5,559 cases) with Uttar Pradesh (13%, 3,212 cases) reporting the second-highest number of such instances.

An analysis of the data reveals that most of railway accidents (3,771 cases) have taken place during 6 pm to 9 pm, making up for 15.3% of total railway accidents, whereas 15% (3,693 cases) railways accidents were reported during 9 am to 12 pm.

The causes for the railway accidents include fault of driver, sabotage, signalmen's error, mechanical failure and other causes.

Maximum railway crossing accidents were reported in Uttar Pradesh accounting for 41.3% (1,025 out of 2,483 cases) followed by West Bengal (32.4%) (805 cases) and Madhya Pradesh (15.1%) (375 cases), reported PTI.

The states reporting the highest fatalities in railway crossing accidents include Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh with 44.9% (1,007 out of 2,242 deaths), 25.9% (581 deaths) and 16.7% (375 deaths) respectively in 2023.

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