Bettiah (Bihar): The obsession with making social media Reels claimed two young lives in Bettiah district, where two 16-year-old boys were run over by the Amrit Bharat Express while shooting a video on the railway tracks.
The tragic incident occurred between Gulab Nagar railway crossing and Sathi station on the Bettiah–Narkatiaganj section, near pillar number 234/31. Eyewitnesses said the teenagers were standing dangerously close to the tracks, filming on their mobile phones, when disaster struck.
Station Superintendent Santosh Kumar said the Amrit Bharat Express was travelling from Muzaffarpur to Narkatiaganj, while a military train was approaching on the adjacent track from the opposite direction. Seeing two high-speed trains coming simultaneously, the boys panicked and lost control, and were hit by the Amrit Bharat Express.
Both died on the spot. The impact was so severe that their bodies were mutilated, sending shockwaves through nearby villages. Hundreds of residents rushed to the scene, and grieving family members arrived shortly after, plunging the area into deep mourning.
The victims have been identified as Salman Alam (16) of Dharmpur Sathi village and Alamgir Alam (16) of Bhedihari under the Purushottampur police station area.
The railway administration has informed the GRP, Bettiah, and a probe is underway. Officials have once again warned that trespassing on railway tracks and risky stunts for social media can be fatal.
