Kannur: The Chennai–Mangalore Egmore Express train was halted on Monday after the loco pilot felt unwell, railway officials said.

At 4.20 pm, KP Prajesh, 51, became dizzy as the train was approaching Edakkad. The station master was immediately informed and, although the train does not normally stop there, it was brought to a halt. Prajesh, a native of Koyilandy and an officer at the Kozhikode depot, was taken to a private hospital in Chala for treatment. An assistant loco pilot, P Sarath of Kozhikode, accompanied him to the hospital.

Railway authorities were relieved that the train was able to stop safely. Even though there is an assistant loco pilot on board, the rule is that they should not drive the train. They are only assigned to give signals and carry out other duties.

Loco pilot Bhattilal Meena, who arrived from Kannur, took over and continued the journey. The incident caused a delay of approximately 30 minutes.