New Delhi, Oct 7 : A major accident was averted in Uttar Pradesh by an alert loco pilot of the Rae Bareli-Raghuraj Singh Passenger Train who managed to bring it to a screeching halt after finding sand dumped on the tracks.

The pilot pressed the emergency brakes of train No. 05251 to stop it from derailing. The incident happened on Sunday evening.

As per the reports, the sand was dumped on the railway track at the Raghurajpur railway crossing in Raebareli by an unknown dumper around 7.55 p.m.

According to eyewitnesses, earth-filling work was going on in the Ganga Expressway and a dumper engaged in the same work dumped sand on the track and ran away. Soon after the Raghuraj Singh shuttle train number 05251 arrived from Raebareli which was moving at a low speed. Due to the low speed of the train, the loco pilot managed to bring the train to a sudden halt and the accident was prevented from happening.

Eyewitnesses said that had the speed of the train been higher then it could have derailed.

The police are investigating the case and a hunt has been launched for the dumper driver.

Later, the sand was removed from the track, and rail traffic was resumed on the route, officials said.

On October 5, a major tragedy was averted when a Lucknow-bound train was stopped in time after a car was found moving on the tracks. The incident occurred near the Gonda-Lucknow rail section when the driver of the Gorakhpur-Lucknow Intercity Superfast Express spotted a car on the tracks. Acting quickly, the driver immediately applied the emergency brakes and stopped the train.

Earlier, the Indian Railways said that there have been 18 attempts to derail trains across the country since August. From June 2023 till date, there have been 24 such incidents, the officials have said.

The authorities found various kinds of objects placed on rail tracks, including LPG cylinders, bicycles, iron rods and cement blocks giving rise to speculations that some conspiracies may be involved.

/IANS