Initial reports indicated that three bodies were recovered from the railway tracks, while the fourth was found in the river.
Published Nov 02, 2024 | 6:43 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 02, 2024 | 8:55 PM
The workers were cleaning the railway tracks on the bridge when the train mowed them down. (Mahita Suresh/Wikimedia Commons)
Four people, including two sisters, from Tamil Nadu were killed after they were hit by a train near Shoranur in the Palakkad district on Saturday, 2 November.
The deceased, all contract labourers of the railways, were cleaning the tracks on the Bharatapuzha bridge when Thiruvananthapuram-bound Kerala Express from New Delhi plowed into them.
#Kerala: Four railway cleaners from #TamilNadu tragically lost their lives on Saturday after being struck by a train on a bridge near Shoranur in Palakkad, Kerala.
The victims were part of a team of four contract workers—two men and two women—cleaning tracks on the Bharathapuzha… pic.twitter.com/jTFN38Bkgt
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) November 2, 2024
The police later identified the deceased as Lakshmanan, Rani, Valli, and another man, also named Lakshmanan, from Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. It has been reported that the workers panicked on hearing the train and ran towards its direction.
The loco pilot said he spotted them all of a sudden as the train was negotiating a curve. Though he honked, the workers could not run to a safe location.
Residents demanded a thorough investigation into the incident and blamed the railway authorities for flouting safety norms.
According to initial reports, the bodies of three victims were recovered from the railway tracks, while the fourth body was found in the Bharathapuzha river. All four were residing at Ottapalam in Palakkad.
The bodies were shifted to a nearby hospital following the inquest procedure. Police said an investigation has been launched into the incident.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
