Karwar, Karnataka:

In a remarkable display of alertness and bravery, trackman Mahadeva averted a major train accident on the Konkan Railway line between Kumta and Honnavar.

According to railway officials, the incident occurred at around 4.50 am on Friday when Mahadeva, on routine duty, noticed an incomplete welding of the track joint in the area.

At the time, the Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi Rajdhani Express was approaching this route. Sensing imminent danger, Mahadeva quickly contacted the Kumta station to stop the train. However, the express had already left the station and was speeding toward the hazardous section.

Undeterred, Mahadeva made a frantic attempt to contact the loco pilot directly, but communication could not be established.

With just minutes to act, he made a split-second decision. He sprinted along the tracks, covering half a kilometre in just five minutes. In the nick of time, he flagged down the train and brought it to a halt, avoiding a potential disaster, the officials said.

Once the welding work was completed, the Rajdhani Express safely resumed its journey towards Karwar. The quick actions of Mahadeva, who risked his life to ensure the safety of hundreds of passengers, were widely praised.

Officials from the Konkan Railway Zone hailed Mahadeva as a hero. In recognition of his bravery, Konkan Railway CMD Santhosh Kumar Jha awarded him a cash prize of Rs 15,000. Senior Engineer B S Nadge also honoured Mahadeva. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A train travelling from the Czech capital of Prague to the Hungarian capital of Budapest collided with a bus in southern Slovakia on Thursday, leaving at least five people dead and five injured, officials said.

More than 100 people were aboard the Eurocity train when the accident took place shortly after 5 pm (1500 GMT) in the town of Nove Zamky, police and the Slovak railway company ZSSK said.

The deaths and injuries were confirmed by Slovakia’s rescue service, and ZSSK said none of the five deaths were aboard the train.

Video footage showed that the engine of the train was on fire, and railway officials said the bus was badly damaged in the crash.

Interior Minister Matus Sutai Estok was heading to the scene of the accident, police said.

The major train track linking Slovakia’s capital Bratislava with Budapest was closed until further notice. The more than 100 stranded passengers aboard the stricken train were being transported by buses to the town of Sturovo on the Hungarian border, ZSSK said.

The injured were transported to hospitals in nearby towns and cities because the local one was closed Thursday after some parts of it were flooded after a heavy rain overnight.

The driver of the engine, a Czech national, escaped with light burns, said the Czech Railways, its owner. The other four injured people were travelers aboard the train.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, and authorities were investigating. The crossing is protected by gates.

President Peter Pellegrini, who was in Brussels to attend a summit of European Union leaders, offered his condolences to relatives of the dead.

“I wish the injured a speedy recovery and thank the doctors and rescue teams for their work done,” Pellegrini said. “I wish that such catastrophes would spare Slovakia in the future.”