A 12-year-old boy in West Bengal's Malda district saved a train from crossing a damaged track by waving his red shirt after noticing a crack in the railway track, thus averting a rail accident. Officials gave this information on Monday. Officials said the loco-pilot sensed the signal of a boy named Mursaleen Shaikh, who was waving a red shirt indicating danger, and applied emergency brakes to stop the train at the right time. The incident took place near bhaluka road yard last Thursday, he said.

Watch the video here:

#Malda,WB : Mursalin Sheikh(8) saved hundreds of lives of Kanchanjunga Express train near Malda, WB, when he spotted sections of up line had shifted. He removed his red scarf and stood by the track to signal the train Pilot. The train screeched to halt avoiding mishap. pic.twitter.com/cmYw6l17Vc

— Saba Khan (@ItsKhan_Saba) September 23, 2023

"A 12-year-old boy in Malda, waving his red shirt, showed courage by stopping a speeding train from crossing a portion of a railway track damaged due to rain," North East Frontier Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi Dey said in a statement.

"Mursaleen Shaikh, son of a migrant worker from a nearby village, was present in the yard along with the railway staff. Seeing the portion of the track damaged due to the rain, the boy acted wisely and waved his red shirt along with other railway employees on duty there and alerted the loco pilot of the train coming from the opposite direction," the official said.

"The boy was rewarded with a certificate and cash award for his bravery by the North East Frontier Railway officials. Malda North MP Khagen Murmu, along with Katihar Divisional Railway Manager Surendra Kumar, visited the boy's house and rewarded him and appreciated his effort.