Mumbai, Sept 8: The Mumbai Police has recorded 17 deaths on Thursday in separate incidents of train mishaps on the Western and Central Railway local line. While a number of deaths were caused due to suicide, some passengers lost their lives after falling off crowded trains and slipping in gap between the train board and platform, officials said.

The maximum deaths - 3 each - were recorded under the jurisdiction of Kalyan Vasai railway police stations. In Kalyan, a 35 and a 45-year-old man were killed near Asangaon while attempting to cross the track. Meanwhile, the corpse of a 64-year-old man, identified as Madhusudhan Nene, was found near the ladies coach of a train at Kalyan station.

In Vasai, senior inspector VM Chowgule said two of the three deceased were couple, in their mid-twenties, who committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train.

Mumbai locals, considered to be the arterial lifeline of the city, has posed security risks due to massive overcrowding. A Right to Information (RTI) plea filed by activists Samir Jhaveri last year found 3,014 passengers died while commuting on the central and western line. Of the abovementioned deaths, 654 were caused after commuters fall off overcrowded trains.

"Of the total number of deaths reported in 2017 across all the suburban stations (on all three lines), 1,651 persons (1,467 men and 184 women) lost their lives while crossing tracks. Besides, 654 passengers, including 58 women, died after falling from running trains," the RTI query had revealed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2018 09:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).