Australia winces at footage of child falling between train and platform

SYDNEY - Australia released hair-raising security images on Tuesday (July 2) of a child falling between a station platform and a train, as a reminder to parents to stay vigilant during the busy school holidays.

In the closed-circuit television footage, a train stops at a Sydney station and a woman pushes a stroller towards the open doors. As she prepares to lift the stroller onto the train, the child walking beside her plunges into the gap between the woman and the train.

The woman then raises her arm to draw the attention of station staff, while passers-by pull the apparently unharmed child back onto the platform.

"A simple thing such as holding your child's hand when moving around stations and boarding a train can help prevent them from being seriously injured or worse," New South Wales Transport Minister Andrew Constance said in a statement.

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The woman's face was blurred in the footage and a government spokesman said she could not be immediately reached for comment.

The clip was widely shared on social media, with a post by Nine Entertainment drawing 1,600 comments and 1,100 "shares".

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In another clip released by the government, a child falls face first after tripping over the gap between a train and station platform while disembarking.

A third shows a young person running down the station stairs, only to trip and fall down several steps before hitting a handrail post.

More than half of train station accidents on the 178-station network in Sydney take place at the three busiest stations in the city's central business district, Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins said.

"The most important message I'd like to share with parents is: Please don't rush around stations or platforms," he added.

In 2010, a 15-month-old boy escaped with only minor cuts and bruises when an approaching train hit his stroller, which had rolled over the edge of the platform.