Selfie craze proves fatal for 3 Bengaluru youth

DECCAN CHRONICLE.  PublishedOct 4, 2017, 

The incident occurred near Wonderla amusement park at Manchanayakanahalli in Bidadi police limits on the city outskirts on Tuesday morning.

As the Chamundi Express passed, the trio jumped on the other track and the Gol Gumbaz Express knocked them down and ran over them. The bodies were crushed beyond recognition and we established their identity through their mobile phones,” the police said. (Representational image)

Bengaluru: The craze for taking selfies claimed three more lives when three youth from teh city came under a train while taking pictures standing on a railway track while the train was fast approaching.

The incident occurred near Wonderla amusement park at Manchanayakanahalli in Bidadi police limits on the city outskirts on Tuesday morning.

The deceased have been identified as Rohit, 16, a resident of Someshwara Layout in Hulimavu, Prabhu Anand, 18, of Ambedkar Nagar in Koramangala, and Prateek, 20, of Banashankari second stage. Rohit and Prabhu were PU students at National College, while Prateek was a dropout.

The police said that while heading towards Wonderla on two two wheelers, they came across an oncoming train near the Manchanayakanahalli bridge and went to click a selfie.

There are two parallel tracks and they were standing between the tracks to click selfie as Chamundi Express, coming from Mysuru towards Bengaluru, was fast approaching. 

As their focus was solely on the Chamundi Express, they failed to notice the Gol Gumbaz Express, which was moving on the other track. Though the Chamundi Express loco pilot saw them and honked to caution them, they still failed to notice the other train.

“As the Chamundi Express passed, the trio jumped on the other track and the Gol Gumbaz Express knocked them down and ran over them. The bodies were crushed beyond recognition and we established their identity through their mobile phones,” the police said. 

Families inconsolable

The family members of the trio were inconsolable due to the shocking incident. Prabhu and Rohit had pestered their parents to permit them to go to Wonderla.

"His college was re-opening next week and he was repeatedly telling us that he wants to go to the amusement park with his friends. Though not willing, we let him go but we never thought something disastrous like this would happen," said Rohit's father Joseph, car driver by profession.

"He was my only child and we were taking no chance when it came to his safety. He was asking for a bike but we never bought one for him. But see what has happened now," he lamented. 

They died instantly: Eyewitness

Raju, a villager and an eyewitness to the tragedy, said that he was walking towards his fields around 9.15 am when the incident occurred.

“Both trains were honking and these boys were clicking photos. They jumped on the other track while another train was coming. The bodies were dragged for a few hundred metres and they died instantly. I immediately alerted the Bidadi police.”