Malappuram: In a freak accident, a man died after the berth of the train in which he was travelling came off the hook and slammed hard against his neck. The deceased is Ali Khan (62) from Ponnani. The accident took place inside Millennium Superfast Express (Train 12645 Ernakulam - H.Nizamuddin) on June 15 when the train was passing by Telangana.
He was rushed to a hospital in Warangal in Telangana with severe injuries. Three bones of his neck were reportedly fractured and he became paralysed following the accident. Manorama News reported that he underwent three emergency surgeries. According to the report, the efforts of the doctors went in vain as Khan breathed his last. His body was taken to his native place in Ponnani and the funeral was held on Wednesday.
In a clarification issued to Onmanorama, Railway authorities said that the berth in the sleeper coach had no defect and it was unsecured. As per the information received from the TTE, two seats were allotted. Ali Khan was in seat number 57 of the S6 coach (lower berth). The passenger in the middle berth upgraded his seat and went to the third AC coach. Due to improper chaining of the seat of the upper berth by passenger, the seat fell down. The berth had no defects, according to a press note issued by the Railways. Ali Khan was supposed to disembark at Warangal. As soon as the incident was reported, he was rushed to a hospital at Ramagundam and then to a multi-speciality clinic, authorities said.
Meanwhile, Ponnani MP M P Abdussamad Samadani wrote to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw demanding an investigation into the death of Ali Khan and requested the maximum ex gratia for the deceased's family. In his letter, the IUML leader described the incident as unfortunate, regrettable, and highly objectionable.
