MRT operations halted for 4 hours after train hits sleeping male scavenger

A male scavenger believed to be suffering from mental illness died after he was hit by a southbound Metro Rail Transit (MRT) train near the Magallanes station in Makati City Subday morning, police said.

Senior Superintendent Manuel Lukban, Makati police chief, called the incident which happened at 4:50 a.m. between the Magallanes and Taft stations an “accident.”

The police described the victim as between 5’3” to 5’5” in height, between 20 and 23 years old and with fair complexion. He was wearing a colored shirt and shorts at the time of the incident.

According to Lukban, the scavenger was “sleeping on the tracks” before the incident happened.

“The operator saw the man stand up and try to run after seeing the approaching train,” Lukban said. But the train operator could not stop in time to avoid hitting the victim.

As a result, the scavenger suffered head injuries that led to his death.

Lukban said that based on their initial investigation, the scavenger gained entry to the MRT tracks by climbing a fence undetected by security guards.

Due to the accident, the train’s operations were halted from Boni to Taft Avenue from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Just last month, a freelance photographer killed himself by jumping on the tracks in front of an approaching train at the Guadalupe station during rush hour, disrupting operations for several hours.

Lukban said that based on the information given by MRT employees, the man seemed to be mentally unbalanced.

The police have initially ruled out suicide in this case because according to witnesses, the man was not expecting the arrival of a train. “He was startled at the sight of the train,” Lukban said.