Yuvraj Singh offer prayers and thoughts to those affected in Amritsar train accident

India cricketer Yuvraj Singh expressed his condolences to affected families after a tragic train accident in Amritsar killed several people. Celebrations for the Indian festival of Dussehra turned deadly in the state of Punjab on Friday. At least 59 people were killed and 72 injured when a speeding train ran over a crowd of Dussehra revelers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching Ravana’s effigy going up in flames.

Authorities have said that the number of fatalities could rise. The tragedy took place at the Joda Fatak area where a large crowd had gathered to watch the fireworks that usually accompany the festival. As the firecrackers went off, the organizers of the Dussehra celebration asked people to move back. A large number of people moved towards the railway tracks as per the instructions.

Unfortunately, at that very same time, the Jalandhar-Amritsar DMU was passing through the populated spot. Police officials said that the spectators attending the festival could not hear the train approaching because of the loud explosions from the effigy and were subsequently run over by the train. Eyewitnesses said the Amritsar-Howrah train had crossed the spot minutes earlier. Had the two trains crossed at the same time, the casualties would have been much higher. As a result of the accident, many trains were cancelled and other diverted.

Yuvraj Singh took to Twitter to say, “The #AmritsarTrainAccident is a very heartbreaking mishap. Prayers and thoughts for all the families suffering and affected in this mishap”

The railway administration has said that it was not informed about the Dussehra celebration on that location. They also said that it would be wrong to blame the railways for this incident, adding that those watching the celebrations should be more alert. There has been no action taken against the organizers yet.

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