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Recklessness for reels: Teenagers seeking social media fame detained after filming train track stunt
In a bid for social media fame, three teenagers filmed a life-threatening stunt on railway tracks, sparking warnings from authorities about the dangers of chasing online virality.
Image: Duncan Kidd via Unsplash
Three teenagers in Odisha have been taken into custody after one of them was filmed lying on active railway tracks while a train sped over him, in what authorities described as a dangerous attempt to create a viral video.
The incident occurred near Dalupali, close to the Purunapani railway station in Boudh district, an area where train services were recently introduced following years of local lobbying. In a video widely circulated on social media, the boy is seen lying flat between the tracks as the train passes over him, while two friends record and direct the stunt. After the train moves past without causing injury, the teenagers can be heard cheering, with the boy who carried out the stunt posing for photos immediately afterward.
Local police detained the three teenagers this week and are questioning them. Officials condemned the act as a serious violation of railway safety regulations and warned that such stunts, driven by the pursuit of online attention, could have deadly consequences.
“I lay down on the tracks. When the train passed by, my heart was racing. I did not expect to survive,” the boy who performed the stunt told officials, admitting that the idea came from his friends, as per reports.
Railway authorities and police have issued repeated warnings in recent years about the dangers of filming stunts on tracks, a trend that has resulted in multiple fatalities across the country. Past incidents have included individuals climbing on moving trains or attempting selfies near speeding locomotives, highlighting the hazards posed not only to those involved but also to train operators and railway services.
Officials have urged parents to remain vigilant about their children’s online activities and emphasized that endangering public safety in pursuit of internet notoriety will invite strict legal action.
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