Kochi: A railway engineering staff engaged in night patrolling has gone missing after he jumped off the Aroor bridge when his attempt to reach trolley refugee along the one-km long bridge to escape from a speeding train failed in the wee hours of Saturday.
The incident happened at 12.45 am when Engineering department staff Vivek Haridas (26), a resident of Kariyil House, Varanad, Cherthala, and his friend Ajesh (33) were inspecting the track over the bridge as part of monsoon patrolling. Suddenly a train came from the Aroor side as the duo ran along the tracks to the nearest trolley refugee set along the bridge. Though his friend managed to reach the box, Vivek could not reach there and jumped off the track into the cold waters to escape the speeding train.
“We’re yet to locate him. A massive search operation is on with the Coast Guard, Fire and Rescue, police and a private team engaged by the railways participating in it,” police said. On November last year, a similar mishap happened at the Aroor bridge. Gangman Shyamlal Meena (32), a native of Rajasthan, fell from the Aroor bridge while alighting from a track packing machine. Following that mishap, the railways stopped deploying women personnel for monsoon patrolling during night.
