Thiruvananthapuram: A team of scuba divers from Palakkad has begun searching for Lakshmanan, a worker from Tamil Nadu, who fell into the Bharathapuzha River after being hit by the Kerala Express in Shoranur. The accident occurred on Saturday when a group of four contract workers, including two women and two men, was cleaning railway tracks on the bridge over the river.
The accident
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As the Kerala Express approached unexpectedly, the workers were unable to get out of the way in time. All four were hit by the speeding train and fell into the river. Fire and Rescue Services personnel, along with scuba divers, managed to recover the bodies of three workers—Rani, Valli, and one Lakshmanan—while the fourth worker, also named Lakshmanan, remains missing.
Rani and Valli, the deceased women, were sisters, both married to men named Lakshmanan. The four workers were living together in rented accommodations in Ottapalam.
Search efforts complicated by weather
The search for the missing Lakshmanan has been hampered by heavy rains and strong undercurrents in the Bharathapuzha River, making the conditions challenging for the divers. As night fell on Saturday, the team was forced to call off search operations until conditions improve.
Ongoing search operations
Railway officials reported that the search for the missing worker is concentrated near pillars 3 and 4 of the bridge. Shakthivel, another worker in the group, stated that there were no warning signals for the approaching train when they entered the tracks. He described how the train arrived suddenly, leaving them with no time to react or escape.
Local businessman S. Ajim noted that while the train was continuously honking, the workers had nowhere to move, which contributed to the tragic accident. The community is now left in shock as search efforts continue for the missing Lakshmanan, and officials are urged to improve safety measures on the railway tracks to prevent such incidents in the future.
Agency
Published: 03 Nov 2024, 10:01 am IST
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