Auto-rickshaw strays onto track, hit by Vande Bharat Express in Kerala

THIRUVANTHAPURAM: Kasaragod–Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express (No. 20633) while approaching Akathumuri Halt station in the Varkala–Kadakkavur section collided with an auto-rickshaw that entered into the tracks at 10.10pm on Tuesday. No one was injured in the accident. There was no passengers in the auto and the driver has fled. The train was moving slowly and the loco pilot spotted the vehicle in time and applied emergency brakes. There was no one in the auto, driver or passengers, which got damaged in the hit. RPF and engineering personnel and the police reached the spot and removed the vehicle from the track, said a railway statement. The Vande Bharat Express resumed its journey at 11.15pm after ensuring safety of track and the train. Normal train operations in the section were restored soon after. The train reached Thiruvananthapuram Central at 11.50pm.