Emergency break by Loco Pilot Averts Disaster on Secunderabad-Pune Express
Emergency break by Loco Pilot Averts Disaster on Secunderabad-Pune Express
A potential disaster was narrowly averted on Sunday night when the loco pilot of the Secunderabad-Pune Express spotted a fully-loaded 4kg LPG cylinder on the tracks and applied emergency brakes to stop the train.
The incident occurred around 10:45 pm at Uruli Kanchan, where the train was changing tracks at a slow speed. The loco pilot, R T Wani, and train manager, Ketan Ratnani, immediately alerted the station master, who in turn notified the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and local police.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, with the police registering a case of mischief with intent to destroy tracks or make rail journeys unsafe and reckless act against unidentified person(s). Inspector Shankar Patil of Uruli Kanchan police said while talking to the media person that, “We suspect that the person who kept the cylinder on the tracks wanted to harm the train and its passengers. The LPG cylinder was full of gas. We have launched a probe to track down the source of the cylinder so that we can reach the person who brought it.”
The police are reviewing CCTV footage and questioning locals to identify the person responsible for placing the LPG cylinder on the tracks. RPF staffer Sharad Walke lodged a complaint with the police on Monday, following which the investigation was initiated.
