Baby survives after buggy rolls under moving train

A six-month-old baby miraculously cheated death when a train struck his stroller, pushing it 130 feet.

The stroller had rolled on to the tracks in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, after his mother let go for an instant.

The escape was captured on security camera footage that shows the red, three-wheel stroller plunging off a station platform just as the commuter train pulls in, and the mother's frantic lunge to grab it.

The train pushed the stroller about 130 feet along the tracks before it stopped, but miraculously it did not go under the train.

The baby, strapped into the stroller, received only a bump on the head.

Police said they released the video, which was captured last Thursday, to underscore the need for people to be extra safety-conscious when using the train system.

The dramatic footage led news bulletins across Australia and was shown internationally, and on YouTube.

Police have not identified the mother, who wished to remain anonymous, and said the incident was an accident.

"It's amazing how many people get too close to the tracks despite the dangers," Sgt Michael Ferwerda said. "We've had a lucky escape and it is a chance for commuters to heed warnings to be more careful."

The security footage shows the mother stopping on the platform with the stroller facing the tracks. She lets go of the stroller's handle without applying the brake, and appears to hitch her trousers with both hands.

The stroller's front wheel drifts toward the track, and the stroller rolls towards the edge, flipping over as it hits the tracks. The mother spots it just before it pitches over the side, and lunges forward - too late.

The train pulls into the station and the mother clutches her face in apparent panic and devastation. As the train stops, onlookers rush forward. The whole incident took about seven seconds.

Paramedic Jon Wright said the baby received only minor injuries and was returned to his mother within a few minutes of the accident occurring.

"Apparently he needed a feed and a nap," Mr Wright told the Sun Herald newspaper.

"Luckily he was strapped into his pram at the time, which probably saved his life. I think the child's extremely lucky."

Connex, the privately-owned train operator said the driver was being offered counselling for possible trauma.