Truck Falls Off Flyover Onto Tracks, Train Narrowly Escapes Disaster
Speeding trailer crashes onto railway line as express train passes.
A catastrophic rail disaster was narrowly averted late Wednesday night when a plywood-laden trailer truck broke through the railing of the Ramnagar–Fatehpur flyover in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district and plunged nearly 25 feet onto the tracks near Burhwal Junction. The incident occurred moments after the Amritsar–Saharsa Garib Rath Express (12204) had safely passed on the adjacent down line, sparing hundreds of passengers from potential tragedy.
The truck (registration UP 43 AT 9967) was en route from Sitapur to Bihar when the driver reportedly lost control around 9:30 pm. The vehicle smashed through the flyover barrier, crashed onto the up-line track and scattered debris across both lines. A large stone dislodged from the flyover struck the roof of coach G2 of the Garib Rath, shattering several windowpanes and causing extensive damage to the coach’s upper structure. The impact also bent electric poles and disrupted overhead power lines.
Passengers aboard the high-speed express train experienced moments of terror as the deafening crash echoed and fragments struck the train. The alert loco pilot immediately applied emergency brakes, bringing the train to a halt. Despite the violence of the collision, no passengers sustained injuries. Railway traffic on the busy Barabanki–Gonda section was suspended for nearly six hours, delaying approximately 24 trains.
Also Read: Bihar Home Portfolio Handed to Samrat Chaudhary, Signals “Yogi Model” Policing
Rescue teams from Gonda and local police rushed to the site. Fire brigade personnel spent two hours cutting open the mangled cabin to extricate the critically injured driver, identified as Pankaj Kumar from Gonda, who was rushed to hospital. Railway technical crews replaced damaged windows of the affected coach and repaired overhead equipment before allowing the Garib Rath to resume its journey to Bihar around 3:30 am.
Barabanki Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya confirmed that swift action by police and fire services prevented further mishap. The incident has raised fresh concerns over the safety of heavy vehicles on elevated roads above railway lines, echoing a similar close call in 2022 when a milk truck fell onto tracks near Rampur. Train services on the route have now been fully restored.
Also Read: UP Security Forces Detain Chinese Man With Videos of Restricted Military Areas
