How a villager used a gamcha to help Dibrugarh Rajdhani avoid massive disaster

PATNA: A major train accident was averted on Friday morning in Bihar's Katihar district moments before Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express was about to pass, thanks to an alert villager and his red flag – a gamcha.

The incident took place near Chaidha-Bunny halt on the Khagaria-Katihar rail sector.

On Friday morning, the rail line cracked with a loud thud as the Kamakhya - Rajendra Nagar Capital Express (Down) crossed the halt. Upon hearing the sound, local villager Bimal Kumar came out to inspect the origins of the sound and found the damaged tracks.

At the time, New Delhi-Guwahati-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express was about to cross the fractured tracks.

Kumar immediately swung into action. He grabbed his gamcha (traditional cotton towel) to attract the attention of the train driver. When all efforts failed, Kumar hurled stones at the driver.

By the time, the driver slammed the emergency breaks, five Rajdhani coaches had already passed over the damaged railway line.

Later, engineer and railway staff from Mansi Junction Railway Station arrived at the location to repair the faults.

This is the third such incident in the district in three months.

On February 13, another major rail accident was averted when a railway official spotted the fractured rail track and alerted the loco pilot just before the New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express was to pass.