20140708

A deadly game of chicken

A deadly game of chicken: Indian teenagers risk their lives standing on tracks in front of train before leaping into river at last second

  • Group spotted running in front of speeding trains in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
  • They gather on Daliganj Railway Bridge and wait as trains race towards them
  • At the last possible moment the boys leap off the bridge into the River Gomti 
By John Hall
Published: 03:12 GMT, 3 June 2014 | Updated: 09:31 GMT, 3 June 2014
This is the terrifying moment a group of Indian teenagers narrowly avoided being killed while playing a deadly game of chicken on a railway line.
The group were spotted running out in front of a large passenger train on the tracks of the Daliganj Railway Bridge in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
As the speeding train closes in, the teenagers run along the tracks - each waiting until the last possible moment to leap off the open-sided bridge into the roaring waters of the River Gomti below.
Taking a risk: The teenagers spend the hot summer afternoons running out in front of large passenger trains as they cross the Daliganj Railway Bridge in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
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Taking a risk: The teenagers spend the hot summer afternoons running out in front of large passenger trains as they cross the Daliganj Railway Bridge in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Chicken: As the speeding train closes in, the teenagers run along the tracks - each waiting until the last possible moment to leap off the open-sided bridge into the roaring waters of the River Gomti below
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Chicken: As the speeding train closes in, the teenagers run along the tracks - each waiting until the last possible moment to leap off the open-sided bridge into the roaring waters of the River Gomti below
Waiting: Despite the dangerous nature of the act, the young men are adamant that none of them have ever been hurt playing on the tracks
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Waiting: Despite the dangerous nature of the act, the young men are adamant that none of them have ever been hurt playing on the tracks
The teenagers gather on the bridge every day at noon, as temperatures soar to an unbearable 45C.
Standing on the tracks, often with the trains only metres away, their terrifying game of chicken involves competing to be last person to leap from the bridge into the refreshing water below.
 
Along with the challenges posed by the sweltering heat, fast moving trains and deep waters, the teens also have to try and evade local law enforcement.
'We do this every summer. This is a great way of having fun. Otherwise, going about normally around the river is very boring,' 18-year-old Mukesh Kumar, the first to jump from the bridge, said. 
'We also have bets sometimes about who jumps last and waits for the train to come nearest,' he added.
Standing on the tracks, often with the trains only metres away, their terrifying game of chicken involves competing to be last person to leap from the bridge into the refreshing water below
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Standing on the tracks, often with the trains only metres away, their terrifying game of chicken involves competing to be last person to leap from the bridge into the refreshing water below
Along with the challenges posed by the sweltering heat, fast moving trains and deep waters, the teens also have to try and evade local law enforcement
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Along with the challenges posed by the sweltering heat, fast moving trains and deep waters, the teens also have to try and evade local law enforcement
Reckless: However, as the police officers refuse to jump off the bridge after them, the young men say they have never yet been caught, and will continue to play their deadly game of chicken on the tracks
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Reckless: However, as the police officers refuse to jump off the bridge after them, the young men say they have never yet been caught, and will continue to play their deadly game of chicken on the tracks
The teenagers gather on the bridge every day at noon, as temperatures soar to an unbearable 45C. They say their incredibly dangerous acts help to alleviate their boredom
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The teenagers gather on the bridge every day at noon, as temperatures soar to an unbearable 45C. They say their incredibly dangerous acts help to alleviate their boredom
Police officers have a tough time manning the tracks and stopping teenagers diving off the bridge.
'The police come once in a while, but once we have jumped off, they cannot chase us. We outrun them every time,' Varun Jadav, a teenager who frequents the spot, said. 
'Also, it is so hot at that time of the day that even the railway track is boiling hot. So when we are here that no one comes around this spot,' he added.
Despite the dangerous nature of the act, the young men are adamant that none of them have ever been hurt playing on the tracks.
'We do this a lot, so there is no question of getting injured or anything,' Kumar said.

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