Rail engineer on duty killed as train runs over him, 1 injured

A railway engineer on duty was killed while his colleague was injured when they were run over by a goods train near Kopar railway station.

Assistant divisional signal and telecom engineer Navneet Palane (47) and his colleague Deo Bhau (59) were working on the tracks when they failed to notice the approaching train yesterday, a senior railway official said.

Both were hit by the train and fell off the tracks. The other railway employees working there immediately rushed them to a nearby hospital where Palane was declared dead on arrival. Bhau is reported to be out of danger and is recuperating, he said.
 

Describing the incident as "extremely unfortunate", a Central Railway spokesperson said the victims were conducting a routine inspection at the time of the mishap, and added their their families would be compensated as per rules.

However, the angry railway unions demanded foolproof safety measures for men at work.

A Central Railway Mazdoor Union leader said the railway administration is not paying heed to their demands for better safety measures.