Elderly couple from Tenkasi runs on track in wee hours to stop train from derailing

Elderly couple's quick action stops train after truck falls on track, preventing disaster near Bhagavathipuram railway station.

Displaying extraordinary grit in the wee hours, an elderly couple ran for a few metres along the track near Bhagavathipuram railway station near Sengottai past, to stop an approaching train, minutes after a truck fell on the track between Bhagavathipuram and Aryankavu railway stations early on Sunday, February 25, 2024.

The couple, Shanmugaiah and Kurunthammal, was woken up by the loud noise caused by the truck falling down on the track after hitting the crash barrier of the ghat road.

Railway sources said the truck was carrying plywood from Kerala and was proceeding towards Kumbakonam.

After it fell down from a height of about 18 feet from the road on the track at around 12.50 a.m. on Sunday, the couple living in the vicinity rushed to the spot with a torch light.

Even as they were shocked to see the mangled remains of the truck obstructing the track for rail movement, they realised that a train was fast approaching the spot.

“They ran as much as they could in the dead of the night and after covering few feet, the woman switched on a torchlight and waved it at the locopilot,” a railway officer said.