Patna, Dec. 27: Five persons, including a senior engineer of East Central Railway, were run over by a train in Sasaram district while they were busy with repair work this afternoon.

The five were run over by the Ajmer-Sealdah Express (12988) near Kumhau railway station in Sasaram, around 200km west of Patna.

Sources said seven men were working on tracks near the railway station at the time of the accident. A goods train was passing through the common line at the same time. With no place to escape, five of them, including 47-year-old senior section engineer Nathu Prasad, died on the spot around 12 noon. Two were injured.

Arvind Kumar Rajak, the chief public relations officer of East Central Railway, said: 'It is tragic. At present, investigations are on to ascertain the cause of the accident. The men were conducting repairs on the Down line. It is quite strange that they did not realise the Sealdah-bound train was coming their way, as there was no fog.'

Train movement on the section was hampered for around an-hour-and-a-half.

Rajak added: 'It seems the men suddenly spotted the train but by then it was too late. As the goods train was passing through the other tracks, they couldn't react fast enough. The bodies were recovered and sent for post-mortem. The other formalities are under way. The labourers who died were hired on contract. Two more persons have been injured and they are being treated at the Sasaram sadar hospital.'