Lucknow: A heart-wrenching tragedy unfolded in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday morning when a family of three, including a young child, lost their lives after being struck by a train while filming a video near railway tracks.
The incident occurred on the Lakhimpur-Sitapur railway line near the Umariya village canal railway bridge.
According to reports, Mohammad Ahmed, 30, his wife Nazneen, 24, and their two-year-old son Arqam, were making a reel on their mobile phone when a train approached unexpectedly leaving them no time to escape.
Eyewitnesses stated that the family, hailing from Sheikh Tola in Laharpur, Sitapur district, was standing on the tracks around 9:30 am when the Lucknow-Pilibhit passenger train barrelled towards them. Despite the onlookers’ warnings, the family remained unaware of the approaching danger until it was too late. “The family was busy filming on the railway bridge when the train suddenly appeared. They could not react in time,” said one witness who was nearby at the time of the accident. All three were killed instantly upon impact.
Local police and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel quickly arrived at the scene following the accident. The bodies were removed from the tracks and train services resumed shortly after. Ajit Kumar, the officer-in-charge of Lakhimpur Kheri police station, confirmed the details, stating that the family appeared to have been filming selfies on the bridge at the time of the accident.
The authorities have notified the victims’ relatives and an investigation is currently underway to determine the full circumstances surrounding
the incident.
“This tragic episode highlights the dangers of taking selfies and creating videos near hazardous locations,” Kumar said.