16-yr-old boy run over by Darjeeling toy train; third death since 2022
Launched by the British in 1881 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, popularly called the toy train, is famous for joy rides and draws thousands of tourists
Siliguri: A 16-year-old boy died under the wheels of a toy train at Kurseong in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district on Wednesday afternoon, officials said, adding that this was the third death of its kind since March 2022.
The deceased was identified as Surya Routh, a resident of Kurseong’s Dak Bungalow area, police said. He was declared dead on arrival at the local sub-divisional hospital.
A police official, who requested anonymity, said, “Surya was standing on the platform when the train, which was going from Darjeeling to New Jalpaiguri, rolled in. The boy somehow fell on the tracks and the train dragged him for some distance although the driver had applied the brakes immediately.”
Launched by the British in 1881 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, popularly called the toy train, is famous for joy rides and draws thousands of tourists.
“Since the train runs slowly many people tend to ignore the fact that it is a machine and can pose danger as well,” a railway official said on condition of anonymity.
On June 6, a woman named Sita Routh was hit by a train near St Anthony School on the outskirts of Kurseong. She is admitted to a hospital, officials said.
On February 13 last year, a 70-year-old man, Khadga Bahadur Tamang, a resident of Tindharia Tea Estate, died after he was hit by a train.
On March 28, 2022, a man died after he was run over while crossing the tracks at Dagapur on the outskirts of Siliguri.