Curve ahead of accident site hit visibility

Sighting distance was not enough to apply brakes to avert accident, says Southern Railway

A curve ahead of the accident spot in the Walayar-Ettimadai section of Palghat Division where three elephants were fatally hit by the Mangaluru-Chennai Express on Friday night affected visibility making it difficult for the loco pilots to apply emergency brakes on seeing the animals on track.

Though there was no rain or fog, a curve ahead of the accident site made it difficult for the loco pilots to notice the elephants crossing the railway track and stop the train before it could hit them. “Due to the curve, the sighting distance was not enough to apply brakes to avoid such an incident,” Southern Railway’s spokesperson and Chief Public Relations Officer B. Guganesan told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The scene of the accident was a designated elephant pathway where there was a speed restriction for about 15 km on the A-Line. The loco pilots had stated that the train was run within the prescribed 45 kmph, he said.