Chennai: Woman, kids escape after her two-wheeler gets stuck on track.

Chennai: It was a close shave for a 30-year-old woman and her twin girls after their two-wheeler allegedly got stuck on the railway track at Korukkept level crossing on Tuesday morning, police said.

According to police, Sumathi (30) of Korukkpet was taking her twin daughters to a school near K.N.S Depo on the opposite side. The incident happened at around 8. 30 am.

Police said since she did not want to be late for school, she used the gape at the closed gate to cross the track.

While crossing, the two-wheeler allegedly got stuck on the tracks. Witnesses told she tried to move the scooty from the place. However, when she saw a fast-approaching express train Sumathi acted immediately and abandoned the vehicle, gathered her children and escaped from the track. The train hit the two-wheeler and dragged it for  few meters, sources said.

Pavi, an eyewitness, who was waiting for the train to pass, said, “The woman and her children were on a two-wheeler  They first slid the two-wheeler from below the gate, which had already been shut. I thought they would stop there. But, the moment they started the bike and tried to cross the tracks, their bike got struck and everyone waiting away from the tracks panicked, but the woman within seconds secured her kids and escaped”. On being informed the railway police and officials rushed to the spot and conducted inquiries. The train services on the route were disrupted for more than an hour.

The Railway Protection Force registered a case against Sumathi for illegally crossing the level crossing and detained her at Tondiarpet RPF station. Railway police sources say that they are investigating with the help of recovered CCTV footages from the station.

Questions are also being raised as to why the commuters resort to cross the tracks and also why authorities do not stop them.