MYANMA Railways has honoured an engine driver and an assistant who saved lives by stopping in time before quake landslides, according to Dr Than Min Htut, a well-known Mee Eain Shin doctor.
The incident occurred while the train was running between Magyibin and Nyaunglon stations on 28 April, and many passengers were rescued from the Nay Pyi Taw-Mandalay airbag train. Engine driver U Than Win and assistant driver U Zin Paing Soe were honoured at the 148th anniversary of the Myanma Railways under the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Nay Pyi Taw on 1 April.
“They felt that the train was not normal. It was shaking. They couldn’t control it well. At first, they did not know it was an earthquake. They just noticed something strange. While they were watching, they could see that the ground in front of them was going to collapse. The speed at that time was 70 kilometres. There were many passengers and goods on the train. The tracks were curved. A train cannot brake immediately like a car. It takes skill. It takes timing. The two of them understood the situation and immediately tried to slow down the train,” he wrote on his social media page about the efforts of the two people.
“Not only them but also those who tried to prevent the train from overturning that day, U Thet Zaw Myo and U Thant Zin, engine driver and assistant of the Bilin-Mahlwagone freight train, who were able to stop in time when the Samon Bridge collapsed, were also awarded honorary awards,” he wrote. — Htet Oo Maung/ZN
