KOCHI: A migrant labourer who tried to hitch a ride atop a tanker wagon at Ernakulam North railway station got electrocuted after coming in contact with the high-tension overhead electric cable on Friday.
The incident happened at 6:30 am. It is suspected the man, who apparently suffers from psychiatric problems, had been travelling by sitting in between the coaches. According to eyewitnesses, as soon as the train reached Ernakulam North railway station, the man climbed onto the top of the bogey with the help of the ladder attached to it. “He came in contact with the 25,000-volt cable and got electrocuted,” said a railway police officer.
He fell onto the track in the impact. The Railway Police and the Fire and Rescue Services officers admitted him to the burns ICU of Ernakulam General Hospital.
According to the doctors, the man suffered around 75 per cent burns. Meanwhile, the identity of the man is yet to be established. “The man didn’t have any identification papers with him. The only thing we have established is he is from north India since he speaks Hindi fluently,” said a police officer. The Railway police officers said a probe will be launched into the incident.