17 children killed after train rams into school bus at unmanned crossing near Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Seventeen children were killed -- 12 on the spot -- as well as the driver of their schoolbus along with a helper when a passenger train rammed into the vehicle at an unmanned rail crossing near Hyderabad city on Thursday morning.
The tragic accident took place in Masayipet village of Telangana's Medak district at 9.10 am on Thursday.
The students were of a private school and came from nearby villages Islampur, Gundredpalli, Kishtapur and Venkatapur. Several other children in that bus, which had 38 in all, are seriously injured and undergoing treatment at the Yashoda Hospital at Secunderabad.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao visited the hospital and has ordered a probe into the accident. He reviewed the situation with Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma and DGP Anurag Sharma. He has ordered officials to take necessary steps to extend all medical assistance to the injured. Police say the toll may rise as some of the children are critically injured.
According to Telangana Government Railway Police Inspector General Kripanand Tripathi Ujela, 12 boys and the school bus driver were killed on the spot after their bus was hit by the Nanded-bound passenger train.
Meanwhile, Railway police book dead driver for negligence. Nizambad railway police has booked a case of negligence leading to the death of the schoolchildren in the tragedy. According to the railway police, the case was booked under Section 304A of IPC (rash and negligent act leading to death) and 337 IPC (negligent act leading to injury) and Sections 153 and 161 of Indian Railways Act (Endangering safety of persons travelling by railway by wilful act or omission and Negligently crossing unmanned level crossing, respectively). According to Secunderabad rural, Government Railway Police inspector, M. Muni, the complaint has been lodged by Masaipet station master against driver of the schoolbus, Mr. Bikshapati Goud, who has been declared dead in the mishap. The case is being investigated by Secunderabad Railway DSP, Jagadishappa.
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So far, 17 bodies have been shifted to mortuaries in the Medak district and two bodies have been brought to Gandhi hospital in Hyderabad - bringing the total number of identified bodies to 16, which includes 17 schoolchildren and two adults - the driver and helper of the bus.
While, Telangana police maintains that 17 deaths are confirmed so far, unverified reports from the railways claims the toll could reach 19. At Yashoda hospital in Hyderabad, 21 children are being treated out of which 10 are said to be critical.
This could mean that the dead driver has been made the accused in the investigation.
Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao and Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy visited a hospital where the injured were admitted and also rushed to the accident spot. State Home Minister Naini Narsimha Reddy expressed his condolences and said a thorough inquiry will be conducted. "It is a sad incident. A thorough inquiry will be conducted and action will be taken against those responsible," he said.
South Central Railway officials said the accident occurred at an unmanned railway level crossing between Masayipet and Wadiaram railway stations on Secunderabad-Nizamabad section of Hyderabad division at 9.10 am. The Nanded-Secunderabad Passenger train was delayed by 5 hours.
The private school bus came on to the railway track and was hit by Nanded Secunderabad Passenger train which was passing through. Witnesses say the driver's view was obstructed by a room being built at the crossing because it is in the process of being converted into a manned one. The train was also supposed to slow down as is the rule when it approaches an unmanned crossing, but that was not the case, eyewitnesses said.
"A medical relief van was immediately rushed to the spot from Nizamabad and Secunderabad and senior railway officials, including a medical team from Secunderabad, were rushed to the accident spot," a railway official said.
Books lay scattered at the site of the accident as rescue workers pulled out children of the bus wreckage.
Villagers hauled the wreckage of the bus back on the tracks and are demanding a gate at the crossing and compensation for the lives lost.
Telangana Bus-Train collision : Rescue ops underway at accident site pic.twitter.com/21so8o7Fxm
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 24, 2014