Australians are questioning why a Vietnamese woman went to retrieve a lost item from the tracks before she was fatally struck by a train in Sydney’s west.
Tuyet Nguyen, 52, was on holiday in Sydney visiting family when she was hit by a train at Punchbowl station on Tuesday afternoon.
Ms Nguyen is said to have dropped her slipper and climbed onto the tracks, but she was unable to get back onto the platform before the train arrived.
An eight-car train travelling at 100 km/h can take 500 metres to come to a stop, meaning the tragedy might not have been prevented even if the driver had seen her on the tracks.
It is illegal to enter a railroad corridor unless you are walking or driving across a railroad crossing.
Many Australians felt the incident could have been prevented if Ms Nguyen had asked for help in recovering the lost item.
“I can’t understand why she didn’t go to the train conductor and have them arrange for her to get her shoe. It’s an unnecessary tragedy and such a traumatic death,” one person wrote online.
‘RIP and condolences to her family, but really about a slip up! I can’t help but feel sorry and angry at the same time,’ said another.
Ms Nguyen (pictured) is said to have dropped her slipper and climbed onto the tracks, but she was unable to get back onto the platform before the train arrived.
A third added: ‘It’s sad that one slipper has caused so much heartache and trauma to so many people.
‘The girl’s family, the driver, their families, emergency workers, the witnesses, their families, the people on the train. The effects of this will be felt for years to come.’
However, many Australians sympathised with Ms Nguyen and suggested she may have been unaware of the risks.
“In Vietnam, on the ground floor where all the markets are, they have a slow-moving train and it just goes right through,” someone said.
“Our platforms are not designed the same way. There is no way out or safe, accessible space for people to go if they fall off a platform.”
Others said passengers should consider the consequences of their actions for train drivers.
“People always seem to forget the impact this has on the driver,” one person wrote.
A second added: ‘I hope the driver is ok, it’s not his fault.’
Emergency services rushed to the station and NSW fire and rescue crews (pictured) worked to extract the woman from under the train
Another added: ‘The driver and emergency services also have to deal with these unnecessary deaths.
‘Condolences to her family, but let it be a lesson to us all. Trains are not cars, they just don’t stop abruptly, it takes hundreds of meters for the brakes to stop a train.’
The tragedy occurred during rush hour, when authorities blocked trains between Campsie and Bankstown in Sydney’s west as emergency services attempted to extract Ms Nguyen from beneath the locomotive.
She was immediately taken by ambulance to St. George’s Hospital, but died there on Wednesday morning.
Police have spoken to a number of witnesses and viewed CCTV footage as part of their investigation.
The driver gave a negative breath test.
On Wednesday, Ms Nguyen’s cousin Toan Huyn told Daily Mail Australia that his aunt goes on holiday to Australia every year, where her sister lives.
Ms Nguyen regularly shared photos of her visits to Sydney on social media, including a holiday in 2022 and a trip last year, where she posted images of the Opera House.