3-year-old, uncle run over by train
A daily wage labourer and his three-year-old nephew were run over by a speeding train between Potheri and Katankalathur, about 65km from Chennai. Police said Elumalai, 35, a native of Vandavasi in Tiruvannamalai district, had recently shifted to Chennai for employment and was staying on a pavement at Katankalathur. His nephew Akash's family had also moved from Ginjee to the city to work in construction sites.
On Thursday night, Elumalai was taking his nephew across the tracks to buy him some sweets when they were hit by the train going from Chennai Beach to Tirumalpur. Motorists waiting for the railway gate to open informed police and the bodies were taken to the Chromepet General Hospital for postmortem. On Wednesday, a nurse attached to the Government General Hospital was run over by a train at Pallavaram while crossing the track, while a software engineer travelling to Chetpet from Tambaram on the footboard was dragged to his death when his shoulder bag came into contact with a pole about two weeks ago.
The Government Railway Police at Tambaram said around 100-175 people were killed by speeding trains every year on the St Thomas Mount-Singaperumal Koil.