The Vande Bharat Express from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram struck an overturned autorickshaw at Akathumuri railway station near Varkala, Kerala on Tuesday night, December 23, 2025. The autorickshaw was dragged several metres along the track. Officials from Southern Railways said the incident occurred at about 10:10 p.m. while train number 20633 approached the Akathumuri halt station on the Varkala-Kadakkavur section. Seeing the autorickshaw on the track, the loco pilot applied emergency brakes immediately but could not avoid hitting the vehicle. No one was inside the autorickshaw. Authorities suspected it was not sabotage. The autorickshaw driver was caught nearby in an intoxicated state. He admitted that he lost control of the vehicle, which overturned near the station's second platform and fell onto the track. The Railway Protection Force, engineering staff, and local police quickly cleared the vehicle from the track. No passengers on the train were injured. Train operations on the track were stopped for over an hour but resumed by 11:15 p.m. The train arrived at Thiruvananthapuram Central station by 11:50 p.m. Minor damages were fixed, and it started its return trip on the morning of December 24.