A one-and-a-half-year-old boy died after being hit by a train in Alappuzha on Tuesday evening. The deceased has been identified as Dhrinav, son of Vineeth and Surya Babu, natives of Valanjavazhi in Ambalappuzha.

The incident occurred around 6 pm when the toddler reportedly walked towards the railway track, located about 30 metres from his mother’s ancestral home in Valanjavazhi.

According to Ambalappuzha North panchayat member Anitha Sathish, the couple usually leave Dhrinav at Surya’s ancestral home while they are at work. Surya works at a private hospital near SN Junction, while Vineeth is a daily-wage worker. They live in a rented accommodation nearby.

“On Tuesday, they had left him at the house as usual. Only his grandmother was there at the time of the incident, as his grandfather had gone out for some work. The child appears to have accidentally walked towards the railway track,” Anitha said.

After the train struck the boy, the loco pilot stopped the train, and the body was recovered, she said. Dhrinav’s body has been kept at Vandanam Medical College Hospital. He was the couple’s only child.