This Elderly Couple From Tamil Nadu Ran Along Railway Track To Save A Train From Derailing
An elderly couple from Tamil Nadu is being hailed for their heroic act that saved a train from derailing.
66-year-old Shanmugaiah and his 60-year-old wife Kurunthamma alerted a loco pilot about a loaded truck that had fallen onto the railway track, thus averting a major mishap.
Woken up by accident sound
The couple, residing in the Puliyarai area of Tenkasi district was woken up by the loud sound of a truck falling to a railway track in the wee hours of Sunday.
The truck, carrying plywood from Palakkad in Kerala was on its way to Kumbakonam, in the neighbouring state when it fell down from a height of about 18 feet from the road on the track at around 12.50 am on Sunday.
The couple who worked as tapping workers at a nearby rubber plantation rushed to the spot and found the loaded truck on the railway track.
Ran on railway track
They also realised that a train could pass through the track any time soon.
Without thinking further, the couple who just had a torch in their hand ran through the railway track.
As they had anticipated, a train was coming on the same track, and with their torchlight, they managed to get the attention of the loco pilot.
Alert loco pilot stops train
The loco pilot of an empty rake, that was being moved towards Punalur in Kerala, noticed the couple and brought the train to a screeching halt, before the accident spot.
Railway authorities were also informed about the accident and the Palaruvi Express coming from Nellai to Palakkad was halted at Sengottai.
Within a few hours the overturned truck, of which the driver had died in the accident, was removed from the track. Normal railway traffic was restored on the route by morning and the train halted in Sengottai was cleared to proceed to its destination.
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