COIMBATORE: A woman and her daughter were run over by a train engine along a track in Salem on Monday. The deceased were Bakkiyam (43) and Manjula (25) of Tholasampatti near Omalur.

Following differences with her husband, Manjula moved to her parents' house and took up construction work with Bakkiyam. On Monday morning, the duo were walking along the Omalur-Mettur railway track to a construction site in the Muthampatti area when the incident happened.

"While going through a curved stretch of the track, they noticed a fast-approaching freight train from Mettur. In panic, they moved onto an adjacent parallel track, unaware that a train engine was approaching from the opposite direction.

The engine knocked them down, killing both on the spot," the police said. Their bodies were moved to Salem GH and further investigations are ongoing.