VIJAYAWADA: In a ghastly incident, a 20-year-old youth lost both his legs when he attempted a suicide at the railway track near Krishna Canal railway station in Guntur district on Monday. According to Government Railway Police (GRP), the youth identified as Prithvi from Nulakapeta area of Tadepalli mandal in Guntur district. The incident happened at around 8 am, when the youth tried to end his life by lying on the railway track near the station. At that moment, the loco pilot Hanumanth Rao and his assistant Raghuram Raju of Lokmanya Tilak Express (Train 17222) on its way to Vijayawada from Mumbai noticed Prithvi lying on the track barely 100 metres away and applied emergency brakes at once.
Unfortunately, the engine and a coach trampled the youth and he lost both his legs. The loco pilot and his assistant acted swiftly, got out of the train and rushed to the coach in the back and managed to pull out Prithvi. They then collected his amputated legs and put them in a polythene bag. They shifted him in a coach and headed towards Vijayawada Railway Station where the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and medical staff were on standby along with an ambulance. The youth was rushed to Vijayawada GGH where the doctors tried to reattach the legs but failed due to multiple fractures. “We are yet to ascertain the actual cause that forced Prithvi to take the extreme step”, a senior GRP official said.
Suicide helpline
OneLife: 78930 78930, Roshni, Hyderabad-based NGO:040-66202000