A father's heart-wrenching final moments have been praised by police after a stroller carrying his twin daughters rolled onto train tracks.
As reported by News.com.au, the tragedy unfolded at Carlton Railway Station in Sydney on Sunday (July 21), as a stroller carrying two twin girls rolled onto the tracks.
The devastating incident occurred around 12:25PM (local time), when the 40-year-old father - who has been widely praised for his bravery - attempted to rescue his daughters from an oncoming train.
Security footage captured the family moments before the tragedy.
The video shows the father, holding the pram with his twin daughters, and the mother, managing a trolley bag as they made their way to the train platform. The family, who had recently arrived in Australia from India, were on what should have been a routine outing.
After crossing the road and using the elevator to reach the platform, the pram, which contained the two-year-old girls, rolled onto the tracks.
The train - which was traveling from Cronulla to Bondi Junction and was not scheduled to stop at Carlton Station - approached the platform as the stroller lay on the tracks.
According to NSW Police Superintendent Paul Dunstan, the father then performed "an incredibly brave and heroic act" and leaped onto the tracks to save his daughters but was struck by the train.
Tragically, he and one of the twins were killed in the collision.
Emergency services, arriving minutes after the incident, heard crying from underneath the train and were able to rescue the other twin, who thankfully was unharmed.
Superintendent Dunstan emphasized the father’s heroism, saying: "He’s gone into parent mode and tried to save his two young daughters that have fallen onto the tracks and in doing so it’s cost his life.” He further clarified that the incident is not believed to be suspicious.
NSW Premier Chris Minns commended the father’s sacrifice, stating: “The father died from an extraordinary instinctive act of bravery… he gave his own life to try to save his children.”
Minns added that it was a “very confronting and sad day for the St George community and obviously for that family from the Kogarah area.”
The mother, who witnessed the horrific incident, was not physically harmed but is said in a state of shock. She and her surviving daughter were taken to the hospital for assessment.
Police are providing support to her and her extended family, who are rallying around her during this difficult time.
The tragic incident is believed to have been potentially influenced by a gust of wind, according to preliminary investigations.
Chief Executive of Sydney Trains, Matt Longland, remarked on the rarity of such incidents, saying: “These sorts of incidents are incredibly rare, but clearly the outcomes are absolutely tragic."
Fire and rescue crews were seen on the tracks more than two hours after the tragedy, working to remove the bodies from beneath the train.
The National Rail Safety Regulator has been informed, and a detailed investigation is underway to determine the precise cause of the accident, including the train’s speed and how the pram ended up on the tracks.
The tragic accident has deeply affected the local community, particularly the Indian community, which has been offering support to the grieving family.
Our thoughts go out to the family members of those involved and to anybody impacted by this tragedy.
