Amidst Kanchanjunga Express tragedy, a goods train loco pilot earns praise for saving pride near Gujarat's Pipavav Port
Mukesh Kumar Meena waited for the resting lions to eventually leave the tracks
Mukesh Kumar Meena waited for the resting lions to eventually leave the tracks
Mukesh Kumar Meena waited for the resting lions to eventually leave the tracks
Mukesh Kumar Meena waited for the resting lions to eventually leave the tracks
On a day that witnessed the loss of lives after a goods train rammed into the Kanchanjunga Express in West Bengal, a warmer story involving the loco pilot of another goods train has been reported from Gujarat. The loco pilot won accolades for saving a pride roaming on the tracks.
The incident was reported in Gujarat's Amreli district in the early hours of Monday, a railway official said. As many as 10 lions were on the tracks near Pipavav Port when the goods train was approaching. A vigilant Mukesh Kumar Meena, the loco pilot, applied emergency breaks to stop the wagon from running over the big cats, news agency PTI quotes Railway officials as saying.
The railway employee patiently waited for the resting lions to eventually leave the tracks. Meena was piloting the goods train from Pipavav Port station to a siding (a short track beside the main corridor) during the time of the incident, a release from Western Railway's Bhavnagar division said.
"Meena stopped the train by applying emergency brakes as soon as he spotted 10 lions resting on the tracks. He waited till the lions got up and moved away from the tracks. He then took the train to its destination. This commendable work by the loco pilot was praised by officials," the release said.
In videos taken by Meena in torchlight before sunrise, the lions can be seen walking along the tracks before disappearing into the thicket alongside. Notably, several lions have died in the last few years on this railway line connecting Pipavav Port with north Gujarat.
In 2022, the Western Railway had confirmed on X (then Twitter) that alert goods train loco pilots en route Port Pipavav saved the lives of as many as 83 lions by slowing down the trains. In the process, they even had to wait several hours to let the wild cats pass the tracks peacefully.
What happened to Kanchanjunga Express in West Bengal?
Meanwhile, between Ranipatra Railway Station and Chattar Hat Junction in West Bengal, a goods train rammed into the back of the Kanchanjunga Express, killing at least nine including Railway staff. The loco pilot and his assistant were among the casualties of the tragedy.
"The accident will be thoroughly investigated by the Commissioner of Railway Safety," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters at the accident site in Rangapani near New Jalpaiguri station in Siliguri.