An 18-month-old boy died after being hit by a train near his home at Kakkazhom in Alappuzha district on Tuesday evening, police said.

The child, identified as Drinav, was the only son of Vineeth and Surya Babu, residents of Puthuvall House in Kakkazhom, Ambalapuzha.

The incident took place at around 6pm when the child was playing in the courtyard of his maternal grandparents' house, located close to the railway tracks.

According to Ambalapuzha police, a woman who witnessed the incident said she saw the toddler crawl towards the railway tracks before he was hit by the Ernakulam-Kollam passenger train.

Police said the child's parents were not at home at the time. The person looking after him also did not notice that he had left the house.

Body shifted to Alappuzha Medical College

The train involved was an Ernakulam-Kollam MEMU service, according to the police.

Ambalapuzha police completed the preliminary procedures and shifted the child's body to the mortuary at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital.

An officer said the inquest proceedings would be conducted on Wednesday.

The child's father, Vineeth, is a fisherman, while his mother, Surya Babu, works as a nurse at a private hospital.