Mangaluru: Alert minded farmer averts train accident

Mangaluru, 03 Aug 2015: A major train accident at the Bondel-Pachanady railway track here was averted on Saturday morning, thanks to the presence of mind of Frank Fernandes (a farmer by profession), who flagged down the approaching train with a bunch of red flowers.

 

It was at around 8.20 am when Fernandes was walking on the railway track to meet his neighbor Peter spotted a crack (measuring about 1.5 inches) on the rails, which developed due to weld failure. He had also noticed that the track was out of alignment.

 

 

He immediately informed his brother Oswald Fernandes about the broken track who notified that the Mangaluru-Madgaon Intercity Express was to pass over the same track at around 8.30 am. Frank’s brother immediately advised him to stop the train by waving a red flag. However, on not finding a red coloured cloth, Frank collected a bunch of red Pagoda flowers and waved at the approaching train, managing to stop the train just on time.

 

Meanwhile, the railway authorities were informed of the incident. The train, which was halted for about 50-minutes resumed its journey only after the technical experts repaired the track.