Kottayam: A major tragedy was averted by a whisker near Kottayam on Monday when a large teak branch fell on top of a running train.
The incident happened on Monday evening when the Korba-Thiruvananthapuram Express was passing through the stretch between Chingavanam and Changanassery.
The branch broke in heavy rain and came crashing on the running train. It got entangled in the electric line and a portion of it fell on the tracks and on top of a few coaches.
The train was brought to a halt by the loco pilot before he sought help from the authorities.
The traffic along the railway line was halted for at least 45 minutes, while the police, fire force and locals briskly removed the branch from the train and tracks.
The train was then directed for an engine check at the Changanassery station from where it started its journey to Thiruvananthapuram at 7 pm, two hours behind schedule.
Traffic along the Kottayam section was affected due to the accident and several trains were delayed.