A speeding truck crashed into a level-crossing gate, got stuck on the railway tracks and was hit by an express train in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on Friday morning, an official said.
No one was injured in the accident near Bodwad station around 4.30 am, which disrupted rail services on the route for about 6 hours, the official said.
He said the 12111 Amravati Express from Mumbai to Amravati was about to pass through the area when the truck driver lost control over the wheel and rammed the vehicle into a level-crossing gate.
The truck broke the barrier at the rail-road intersection and got stuck on the tracks. The driver alighted and was seeking help when the train hit the vehicle, the official said.
He said the alert loco pilot had spotted the truck on the tracks and slowed down, averting a much bigger accident.
The Central Railway's chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said the truck had unauthorisedly crossed the track near Bodwad railway station in the Bhusawal division.
He said there were no injuries to the truck driver, cleaner, the railway staff and passengers.
The official said the accident disrupted the traffic, but the movement of trains has now been restored.
Officials from the railways, local police, Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force rushed to the spot and launched an operation to clear the track.
According to officials, the truck got stuck to the train engine, which blocked rail traffic on the stretch for a few hours, and a gas cutter and earthmover were engaged to remove the truck from the tracks.
The track was cleared around 10.20 am, and the train left for the next station. A case is being registered, and a probe is underway, they said.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.