Palakkad: In a shocking incident, four workers were killed after being struck by the Kerala Express in Shornur on Saturday.

The deceased have been identified as Valli, Rani, Lakshman, and another unidentified male, all from Tamil Nadu.

The New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram train struck the workers around 3.05 pm while they were clearing garbage from the railway track near Shoranur bridge, located a few kilometers from the railway station.

The workers, contracted by the Railways for sanitation duties, were thrown from the track due to the collision's impact. While three bodies were retrieved from the area, efforts are being made to locate the fourth, which is suspected to have fallen into the Bharathapuzha River, police said.

A team from the Railway Police reached the spot.

"The workers may not have noticed the approaching train, which resulted in the accident, but further investigations are underway," said an officer with Shoranur Railway Police. PTI