A freight train ran over and killed more than a dozen poor Indians, who were trying to walk back to their home state after the world’s most expansive virus lockdown left them unemployed.
As many as 20 people had walked for 36 kilometers (22 miles), following railway tracks to reach their native villages, according to a statement from the Indian Railways. Survivors told the authorities they were tired and fell into a deep sleep that saw them fail to notice the approaching train. Fourteen died and two were injured.
India’s lockdown — imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi March 25 with four hours notice — has hit the nation’s 400 million internal migrants the hardest. A vast majority of them labor on construction sites, operate factories, or clean homes in cities, contributing a combined 40 percent to national output but earning paltry wages and denied job security.