In a miraculous escape, a newborn baby, delivered inside a train toilet slipped through the toilet hole of an express train and was found unhurt. Seeing the baby slip away through the toilet hole, the mother jumped off the moving train in an attempt to save the child.

Both the mother and the baby were safe when the Railway staff later found them.

Twenty-eight-year-old Rinku Devi Rai and husband Bhola Rai had boarded the 8181 Tata Chapra Express at Tatanagar on Tuesday, and were on their way to Rinku’s parents’ home at Sapurpaturi near Chhapra in Bihar. At 11 pm on Tuesday night, Rinku had labour pain and went to the toilet, where she delivered the baby, and it slipped away through the hole. The mother jumped off the train within seconds. The train was between Ghamaria and Birajpur station at the time.

The passengers, who thought some woman passenger had attempted suicide, raised alarm and Bhola Rai pulled the emergency chain. Passengers said the train had moved nearly two kilometres after the chain was pulled. After reaching the spot, the passengers found the mother with the baby in her arms, sitting by the side of the railway track. The baby did not have any injury, said Railway officials.

The woman and her child were brought to the nearest station, Purulia Junction, at 12.20 in the night and were admitted to the Purulia Sardar Hospital, where they are reportedly doing well.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the station manager of Purulia, S M Majumdar said it was a miracle that both the mother and child did not receive any injuries. “We were informed that there was a case of delivery but we had no idea of what had happened. We found the woman and child both hale and hearty and admitted them late in the night to Purulia Sadar Hospital,” said Majumdar.

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