A major accident was narrowly averted at the railway gate in Alinchuvadu, Ayaparambu, near Haripad in Alappuzha, when the gate remained open even after a train had arrived on Monday. According to residents and onlookers, vehicles, including KSRTC buses, were passing through both sides of the railway crossing as the train approached. The train reportedly came to a halt after noticing that the gate remained open.

The gate was closed only after people travelling in the vehicles raised an alarm and shouted at the gatekeeper, they said. Residents alleged that the gatekeeper was busy looking at his mobile phone at the time of the incident. However, the gatekeeper reportedly told people that he did not receive the signal to close the gate.