Kolkata, June 7: The Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express had a narrow escape after it brushed past a tractor-loaded with diesel barrels, which had got stuck on the tracks close to a manned-railway crossing near the Santaldih station, in West Bengal's Purulia district.

The incident happened on Tuesday evening. The driver of Rajdhani Express noticed the tractor from a distance and he immediately slowed down the speed of the train, However, the sides of two compartments behind the engine somehow brushed past the body of the tractor. Major Train Accident Averted in Jharkhand's Bokaro After Tractor Crashes Railway Gate Near Santhaldih Crossing.

Following the development, the train was delayed by around 45 minutes. The divisional railways manager (Adra division), Manish Kumar informed the media persons that no report of damage has been reported. However, railways sources said that the gateman of the manned level crossing has been suspended and a departmental probe initiated in the matter. Odisha Train Tragedy: DNA Samples Sent to AIIMS Delhi for Identification of Deceased After Triple Train Accident in Balasore.

The train was going from New Delhi to Bhubaneswar. Since Santaldih station was not a scheduled stop, the train was at a high speed. But it was the alertness of the driver of the train that helped avert a major mishap. Had he not noticed the tractor and slowed down the speed another major accident could have happened just four days after the triple train tragedy in Odisha's Balasore district in which 278 lives were lost and over 1,000 injured.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2023 11:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).