20-year-old Vasai marathoner falls off express train, dies

Lokesh Waghmare, 20, who was travelling to Vasai from Gujarat, fell off the Swaraj Express on the stretch between Vapi and Borivli and died on the railway tracks on Wednesday.

Lokesh Waghmare, 20, who was travelling to Vasai from Gujarat, fell off the Swaraj Express on the stretch between Vapi and Borivli and died on the railway tracks on Wednesday. Waghmare was returning from the Baroda Marathon, in which he came second.

Waghmare was returning from the Baroda Marathon, in which he came second. (PRATIK THAKUR)

Mahesh Bagwe, police inspector, GRP, Vasai, said, “Swaraj Express halts at Vapi, after which the next halt is Borivli. On Wednesday, the train slowed down near Vasai (between Vapi and Borivli) owing to a glitch with the signal. Assuming that the train may stop, Waghmare tried to get down, but slipped and fell on the tracks, where he was run over. We have registered a case of accidental death.” Waghmare, who studied at New English School, Vasai, has participated in marathons in Vasai, Mumbai and Pune. “He was excited to show his medal from Baroda Marathon to his mother,” said a relative.

Waghmare lived in Durga Nagar chawl, Gavraipada, Vasai. He was the sole bread winner in his house. His mother works as house help, while his father is mentally challenged. His widowed sister and her two children, too, live with them, according to Waghmare’s relatives.

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