'A girl fell off train, please help her': Passengers screamed, residents recall shocking Varkala incident

The residents of Elappil at Vettoor panchayat were alerted by frantic shouts for help from passengers on board the Kerala Express on Sunday night. "A girl has fallen off the train, please help,'' the passengers yelled as the train halted 50 metres ahead of the Ayanthi bridge near Varkala.

Rafi, a farmer who stays at Elappil, had noticed the train slowing down. He felt something ominous. "This is a place where suicides have been very frequent. When a body is found on the track, the train halts until it is cleared. Whenever we see a train halting, we get a bad feeling. I took a torch and stepped out when people started calling out for help," Rafi told Onmanorama.

The girl fell off between two railway tracks, near a school ground, around 100 metres from the Pazhayachantha bridge and 50 metres ahead of the Ayanthi bridge. "As soon as the train came to a halt, passengers stepped out and sought help from people who stayed at the other end of the bridge. They also informed us, and one of them said that she was seen falling off near the ground. We picked up torches and started a collective search and were able to spot her soon," said Rafi. He was accompanied by his son, Yasin, and his brother. 

The girl was found lying unconscious between two tracks. The place is dark and covered with bushes on both sides. Timely alert and search by residents, along with the police, helped in spotting the girl. "She was bleeding and was unconscious; we hope she survives," said Rafi.

The police also acted swiftly by arranging transport on the train headed to Kollam. The people living close to the bridge often had to deal with accidents related to the train. "Two weeks ago, a youth fell off the train. He lay there bleeding for two hours before one of the mosque staff found him early in the morning. We shifted him to the hospital. Four years ago, there was another incident," Rafi, who has been residing at Elappil since childhood, said. The residents said that the tracks take a curve at the point near Ayanthi bridge, which makes the place even more dangerous.

 "One of the persons who fell off the train had told us that as the train was moving along this turn, the door banged him from behind, pushing him onto the tracks. What happened today was really unfortunate," said Rafi.