By Anand Singh

Patna, May 28 (IANS): A woman travelling back to her native place by Shramik Special train, on Thursday, gave birth to a baby girl, railway officials said.

According to East Central Railway officials, Asha Kumari who was travelling in Shramik Special train complained of labour pain at 7 p.m on Wednesday near Sirari railway station between Kiul and Gaya.

"Immediately, she was taken to Sadar Hospital and attended with the help of Sheikhpura District Magistrate and at 07.30 a.m. on Thursday she has been blessed with a beautiful baby girl," the official said.

Till date, according to railway officials, over 30 babies were born while travelling in Shramik Special trains at several hospitals and railway stations across the country since May 1.

The news of a birth of a baby girl comes in the backdrop of several people dying while travelling in these trains.

On Wednesday, a video of a toddler pulling the shroud from the dead mother at Muzaffarpur railway station in Bihar went viral on the social media.

The railways said that the woman in the video died in the train as she was unwell. The video clip, which has now gone viral on the social media from the Muzaffarpur railway station, is of Arbina Khatoon (35), who had arrived in a Ahmedabad-Katihar Shramik Special train on May 25.

The railways suspended the operations of mail, passengers and express train services from March 25 amid the nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

However, the railways has started to run the Shramik Special trains to transport the stranded migrant workers, students, tourists and pilgrims across the country.

Till Wednesday, railways has operated over 3,543 Shramik Special trains and transported over 48 lakh people to their native places.

The railways is also operating the 15 pairs of Special air conditioned trains from New Delhi and also plans to run 200 time tabled trains from June 1.