Vande Bharat runs over 2 Kerala nursing students near Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Two first-year nursing students were killed after they were allegedly run over by a Vande Bharat Express train on the outskirts of Bengaluru, police said on Monday.

The deceased were identified as Sterlin Eliza Shaji (19) and Justin Joseph (20), both natives of Kerala and pursuing BSc Nursing at a private institute in the city.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 2.35 p.m. on Sunday when the two were allegedly crossing the railway tracks near Chikkabanavara railway station, on their way to their nearby paying guest accommodation.

They were hit by the Belagavi-bound Vande Bharat Express departing from Bengaluru, and both died on the spot. Their bodies were found in a severely dismembered state on the tracks, police said.

A senior railway police officer said CCTV footage is being examined to determine whether the deaths were accidental or a case of suicide.

An Unnatural Death Report (UDR) has been registered at the Bengaluru Rural Railway Police Station, and further investigation is underway, the officer added.

With PTI inputs