EXCLUSIVE
A mother who witnessed the death of her husband and daughter after they were hit by a train could face deportation in the coming days.
Anand Runwal, 40, and his wife Poonam, 39, were on a family walk with their two-year-old twin daughters when the stroller overturned on the tracks at Carlton train station in Sydney’s south at 12.25pm on Sunday.
Mr Runwal heroically jumped off the platform in a brave attempt to save them, but a passing train ran over and killed both the father and one of the girls. The other girl escaped virtually unharmed.
Mr Runwal and his wife Poonam had moved from India to Sydney with their twin daughters in October 2023, after he landed a job at an IT company in North Sydney.
Now Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Mr Runwal was in Australia on a skilled worker visa, with his wife and children listed on the same visa as dependents.
The visa was due to expire on August 1 and Mr Runwal was in the process of renewing it.
Five weeks ago, Mr Runwal sought advice on Facebook on the process to apply for expedited passports for both himself and his wife as they needed them in time to apply for the new visa.
As Ms Runwal’s visa is dependent on her husband’s work visa, her visa rights are up in the air as she deals with the heartbreaking tragedy of her loved ones’ deaths.
Anand Runwal and his wife Poonam Runwal moved to Sydney in October 2023 with their two-year-old twin daughters.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment.
The revelation comes as witness Lauren Langelaar told Daily Mail Australia how the surviving girl, who passed under the train, “barely had a scratch” when she was finally reunited with her distraught mother.
The girl was discharged from the hospital on Monday morning.
Mrs Langelaar was working across the street when the tragedy occurred. She ran to the platform after hearing the mother’s cries for help.
“I ran to help the mother because I could hear her screaming as she looked toward the tracks,” Langelaar said.
“It all happened very quickly. I was on the platform helping the mother shout to her children and husband who were under the train.”
Ms Langelaar said a Sydney Trains worker, who was on the platform, called emergency services and explained that they “could just hear a child” crying.
The pram, carrying two-year-old twin girls, slid onto the train tracks at Carlton railway station in Sydney’s south on Sunday.
The twins’ father heroically jumped onto the tracks to try to save his daughters, but was hit by a passing train, killing him and one of the girls.
When police arrived, Ms Langelaar was told to hold the mother back while officers jumped onto the tracks.
Miraculously, one of the twin girls was rescued from under the train and escaped the accident almost unharmed.
“When I sat her down, the little girl came out from under the train without even a scratch, she was just crying,” Langelaar said.
She added that the mother “begged” paramedics to hand over her little girl so she could hold her, but was initially refused while they assessed the child’s injuries.
“At first she refused to be examined by the paramedics, she just wanted to hug her (daughter),” Langelaar said.
She then continued shouting: “Where are my husband and my other son?”
Ms Langelaar said paramedics continued to assess the girl while she was in her mother’s arms as she “did not appear to be injured” and only had a “mild bump to the back of the head”.
The surviving girl was taken to St George’s Hospital with her mother, where they were assessed by doctors before being discharged.
A woman, Lauren Langelaar, ran onto the platform after hearing the mother’s screams and had to hold her back while emergency services searched for her husband and children.
Harrowing CCTV footage showed the family just minutes before the tragic accident.
Ms Langelaar said a man tried to flag down the driver to warn him of the danger but was unsuccessful.
“There was one man who apparently tried to flag down the train, but since it wasn’t scheduled to stop at that station, he simply didn’t stand a chance,” Langelaar said.
New South Wales Police Superintendent Paul Dunstan said the parents apparently took their hands off the pram for “a very brief period” as it rolled onto the tracks.
Dunstan said police were investigating what caused the stroller to tip over and said it could have been something as simple as a “gust of wind.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who lives 100 metres from the station, said the father died while carrying out an “extraordinary and instinctive act of bravery”.
“He gave his own life to try to save his children,” he said.
Mr Minns described the incident as a “terrible, terrible tragedy” for surviving relatives and first responders.
The Prime Minister did not rule out introducing new measures on railway platforms to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
“We will work with NSW Rail and police investigations and if changes are needed we will make them,” he said.
It’s too early to tell, but I don’t want to close the door on any changes we can make.
«Train stations can be dangerous places and we should all be aware of that.»
Police have closed the station and launched an investigation to determine what caused the stroller to overturn onto the tracks.
Floral tributes were laid at Carlton train station for the hero father and his young daughter who were killed by the train.
Sydney Trains chief executive Matthew Longland said he did not want to speculate on the outcome of the police investigation but said any recommendations to improve safety would be considered.
“Our first priority is to support those involved and work with the investigation to ensure we have all the appropriate facts so we can fully understand the incident,” Longland said.
‘We will take into consideration all recommendations arising from the investigation. I would like to remind everyone to take special care on the platforms when travelling on the railway network.
‘Stay behind the yellow line and away from the edge of the platform. Train stations are very dangerous places.’
Mr Longland described the scene as “confronting” and thanked first responders for their efforts.
“It’s clear that incidents like this are quite confronting for everyone involved, and I would like to thank all first responders for their efforts in managing such a difficult situation,” Longland said.
Sydney Trains chief executive Matthew Longland said he did not want to speculate on the outcome of the police investigation but said all recommendations to improve safety would be considered.
Officers were seen at Carlton train station on Monday (pictured) as investigations into the tragedy continue.
One possible safety measure could be mesh doors on platforms, which have been installed across the new Sydney Metro network (pictured)
One possible safety measure could be mesh doors on platforms, which have been installed across Sydney’s new metro network.
Each gate weighs 175 kilograms and is about 2.5 metres high, creating a complete barrier between the platform and the track.
“The gates will help increase safety by creating a barrier between the platforms and the tracks, allowing customers to move around the platforms more efficiently,” Sydney Metro said.
The platform doors have undergone rigorous testing before being put into operation for metro services in early 2024.
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