Shoranur/Kerala: In an unfortunate incident, three sanitary workers, including two women, got mowed by a train on a railway bridge over the Bharathapuzha River here on Saturday evening. The victims were run over by the Thiruvananthapuram bound Kerala Express (12626), coming from New Delhi, near the Shoranur Junction railway station in Palakkad district. A fourth person is suspected to have jumped into the river.
The workers were on contract and were clearing garbage from the railway tracks. When the train arrived, they ran towards the train instead of moving to the "trolley refuge", The Hindu reported.
They were thrown from the track due to the impact of the collision, Police said.
Police also said that the bodies of the three deceased were recovered, but the fourth person is yet to be found. Search for the person started. All four hailed from Tamil Nadu and were contracted by the Railways for sanitation duties.
According to The Hindu, a group of 10 contract labourers took the rail track instead of the road to cross over to the other side to reach the station. They also did not inform the railway officials and took the down-line side track on the bridge, which does not have speed restriction.
The three recovered were identified as Lakshmanan, Valli, and Rani, all from Villupuram of Tamil Nadu, The Hindu reported. Their bodies were shifted to the District Hospital in Palakkad.
Police told news agency PTI, "The workers may not have noticed the approaching train, which resulted in the accident, but further investigations are underway."
A railway press release stated that an exgratia of Rs 1 lakh will be disbursed to the family of the deceased, and a criminal case has been initiated against the contractor for failing to ensure the worker's safety.