A British tourist was struck and killed by a train while sightseeing on a Sri Lankan rail bridge after he tried and failed to escape an oncoming express train.
The 82-year-old was killed instantly and his body was thrown into the Bolgoda River below the bridge on impact, just south of the country’s capital Colombo on the west coast yesterday evening.
Local reports claim that he was with his wife, and a Sri Lankan tour guide and his young son, who jumped from the bridge into the river in a bid for safety but were still injured.
All three had to be rushed to Panadura Base Hospital with wounds, local police said.
Another tourist and Sri Lankan national were also on the bridge but came away unscathed, local media reports.
The group has spent the afternoon at the nearby Pinwatta Beach and decided to climb onto the railway bridge to sightsee, believing that it was no longer in use, Adaderana reported.
However, while the group was on the railway bridge – on the line between the south-western towns of Wadduwa and Pinwatta – an express train travelling from Beliatta to Colombo suddenly appeared on the tracks, local media said.
They panicked and tried to scramble away before it ran into the group.
The 82-year-old man was killed at the scene while his wife and their Sri Lankan tour guide and his young son jumped into the Bolgoda River below for safety. Here, locals peer over the edge of Pinwatta Railway Bridge where the man was hit and killed
The 82-year-old man was killed at the scene, police said, while his companions were rushed to Panadura Base Hospital with injuries after the train ran into the group
While his companions managed to jump into the safety of the river waters below, unfortunately, the British pensioner was killed at the scene, police said.
Train track sightseeing is a feature of tourism in Sri Lanka, with a famous train ride between the city of Kandy and the mountain town of Ella.
The tracks are often walked on, including at the well-known colonial-era viaduct Nine Arch Bridge, which serves as a landmark in the mountainous jungle area around Ella.
The couple had been staying in a hotel in the Wadduwa area and had a longstanding friendship with the Sri Lankan guide they had with them, local media reported.
He is said to have tried to save the man’s wife and his son by pushing them away from the tracks, but they fell into the river and were injured. He managed to escape with injuries as well.
A post-mortem is due to be done today, according to local reports.
