2018 incident shared linking to Odisha train accident.

The incident happened in Karnataka’s Udupi in October 2018.

A devastating crash involving three trains in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has killed 275 people and more than 1,000 injured many of them seriously. The cause of the crash, which is being described as India’s worst this century, is not yet clear.Soon after the shocking train tragedy several social media users are circulating a graphic showing a 53-year-old Krishna Poojari, a labourer, who allegedly ran 6km despite a leg ailment, to inform railway officials about a crack in the tracks, thus averting a major tragedy. Thanking Pujari for saving many lives, users are linking the graphic to the recent train accident.

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Fact Check-

A simple reverse image search on Google led us to a report by Bangalore Mirror published on 2018 October. As per the report Krishna Poojary was on his usual morning walk along a rail track in Udupi district. Sick for the past three months, doctors advised Poojary to take regular walks, but this day, his walk was to save many other lives too. While walking near the track the alert Poojary observed a crack. Soon after, when a train went by, he saw that the crack had widened. Despite his health issues, Poojary made a run for it. He ran for about 3 km to reach the Udupi railway station in Indrali and informed officials about the crack.”

According to the News Minute report, dated 29 October, 2018, Krishna Poojari ran as fast as he could for 6 km to alert the railway authorities on the broken track before the next train from Goa could arrive. They advised the next trains to slow their speed and simultaneously they fixed the track. Multiple other news media also reported the same in 2018. 

Though the distance Poojari ran differed across news reports, stating it was 3km, the rest of the stories and the photo confirmed that the viral graphic was about the same individual, whose timely action averted a major tragedy.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral image to be Misleading.  A 2018 incident in which a physically challenged man informed railway officials to a damaged track, saving a massive train accident in Karnataka’s Udupi, was falsely linked to the recent Odisha train accident.