CUDDALORE: A 21-year-old pregnant woman, who was travelling on a train with her family members for her baby shower function, accidentally fell from the train on Thursday night between Ulundurpet and Vriddhachalam and died.
Efforts to save her by the family members failed as the emergency chain in the train compartment allegedly failed to work and they had to rush to the adjacent compartment to pull the chain to stop the train. But the express train had travelled for a distance of eight km by then and the woman could not be saved on time.
The victim, Kasthuri (22) of Tirusulam in Chennai, was travelling on Kollam Express with husband Suresh Kumar and other relatives for the function to be held in Tenkasi. Speaking to reporters, family members alleged that Kasthuri, who was seven months pregnant, could not be saved because of the failure of the train’s emergency brake.
“Immediately after she fell off the train, we attempted to stop the train by pulling the chain in S9 coach. As the train didn’t stop, we rushed to S8 coach and pulled the chain. But by the time the train halted, it had crossed several kilometres from the spot where she fell,” they said.
‘Brake failure allegation to be probed’
“If the train had stopped in the first attempt, we could have extended emergency medical support and saved her,” they said.
Suresh Kumar (25) of Melaneelidanallur near Sankarankoil in Tenkasi district, who works in a private company in Chennai, married S Kasthuri of Periyar Nagar nine months ago. The couple were travelling on the train with their family members to attend a temple festival in Melaneelidanallur on Saturday and organise a baby shower event for Kasthuri. The family had booked tickets on Kollam Express train from Chennai Egmore to Kollam.
According to Vriddhachalam railway police, the incident happened when Kasthuri stood near the washbasin close to the entrance of the S9 coach. “As she was continuously vomiting, Kasthuri was standing near the washbasin. After the train crossed Ulundurpet railway station, her family members heard some strange sound and immediately rushed to the entrance but they couldn’t find Kasthuri there.
They alerted other passengers and stopped the train by pulling the emergency brake,” police said. After the train came to a halt, police personnel on the train tried to locate Kasthuri but they couldn’t trace her. The train was then stopped at Vriddhachalam junction railway station.
Her body was eventually found near Railway Overhead Bridge at Pu Mambakkam village in Kallakurichi district, about 19 km from Vriddhachalam station, and taken to a GH. An autopsy was conducted on Friday and the body was handed over to her family members. Vriddhachalam revenue divisional officer Saeed Mahamood inspected the body and held inquiries with her family.
Railway sources said the allegation about brake failure would be investigated by a mechanical expert team. “Usually, trains may not stop immediately after the emergency brake lever is pulled. We suspect there might have been confusion about the braking sequence,” sources said.