New Delhi, May 30: As many as 80 people lost their lives onboard the Shramik special trains between May 9 and May 27, according to data from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) reported by Hindustan Times. The Ministry of Railways started running the Shramik special trains on May 1 to transport migrant workers, students, pilgrims and tourists stranded because of the nationwide lockdown. Migrant Worker Found Dead in Toilet of Shramik Express in UP's Jhansi, Had Boarded Train on May 23.

Of 80 deaths recorded onboard the Shramik special trains by the RPF, 18 were reported in the North Eastern Railway zone, 19 in North Central zone and 13 in East Coast Railway zone. On Wednesday, nine people had been reported dead on these trains over the previous few days. The Ministry of Railways, however, said that most of those who died were "chronic disease patients". This came after reports said that passengers had died of exhaustion, heat, and hunger.

"It has been observed that some people who are availing this service have pre-existing medical conditions which aggravates the risk they face during the Covid-19 pandemic. A few unfortunate cases of deaths related to pre-existing medical conditions while travelling have happened," the ministry said. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday also urged to people suffering from ailments to avoid travel by the Shramik trains.

"I appeal to people suffering from serious ailments, pregnant women & those above 65 years and below 10 years of age to travel only when necessary in Shramik Trains. Railway Parivaar is committed to ensuring safety of all passengers," Goyal said. The ministry has not revealed figures on deaths inside the Shramik special trains.

"I can imagine the plight of labourers travelling even in these conditions. In case of deaths, the local zones investigate the reason and without an investigation, there are allegations that they died of hunger when there was no shortage of food. Some deaths occurred and we are compiling the figures... we will issue the figures in a few days," railway board chairman VK Yadav told a press conference on Friday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 30, 2020 10:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).