A young man in Austria narrowly avoided tragedy after finding himself clinging to the outside of a high-speed train when it departed unexpectedly during his cigarette break, according to Euronews.
The 24-year-old’s ordeal, confirmed by the state railway ÖBB, unfolded late on Saturday at St Pölten station, located west of Vienna.
The Railjet service, travelling from Zurich towards the Austrian capital, began moving while the man was reportedly disembarked. In a desperate bid to avoid being left behind, the individual leapt into the gap between two carriages as the train accelerated away from the platform.
Trapped outside, the man resorted to banging vigorously on the train’s windows to attract the attention of passengers and crew members inside, prompting alarm and leading to the activation of the emergency brake by the conductor.
Following the emergency stop, crew members were able to safely bring the man back inside the carriages. Despite the frightening incident, the train, capable of speeds reaching 230km/h, arrived at its final destination in Vienna only seven minutes behind schedule.
Austrian newspaper Heute quoted a passenger stating that the “conductor really had a very big go at him” after the incident.
Upon arrival at Vienna’s Meidling station, the individual was taken into police custody. Authorities confirmed he remains under investigation in connection with the event.
The Austrian railway company, ÖBB, strongly denounced the man’s actions as extremely perilous. Officials emphasised that such reckless behaviour frequently results in fatal outcomes, posing severe risks not only to the individual involved but also to emergency service personnel who might be called to respond.
