A major train mishap was averted on Friday when the railway track near the Gorumahisani railway station in Mayurbhanj district was found to be damaged.
Loco pilots Sk Hembram and S Soren of Tatanagar-Badampahar DEMU immediately stopped the train after the damaged track came into their notice just 2 km before a stoppage. The incident came to the fore after the second Tatanagar-Badampahar DEMU train was halted midway while advancing towards Gorumahisani.
The loco pilots found the track completely damaged ahead of the Gorumahisani station. They halted the train to save lives of hundreds of passengers. The panicked passengers had to walk 2 km to reach the station.
The train service resumed following a delay of two hours after railway personnel repaired the track, which was suspected to have been damaged while a wagon carrying iron ore from the Gorumahisani mine moved on the route on Thursday night, sources said.
Local railway officials refused make any statement on the incident.