INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
least 13 children have been killed and eight more injured after a speeding train crashed into a school van this morning at an unmanned
crossing in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar, around 50 km from Gorakhpur.Around 7 am, the van of Divine Public School, carrying nearly 25
students, passed through the crossing and reportedly stalled on the tracks when it was hit by the train
An official said 13 children were killed on the spot and seven are critically injured
The wounded children and staff were taken to a hospital around 30 km from the site.The train was on its way to Gorakhpur from Siwan
The official claimed that a "Gate Mitra (friend)" - a person who alerts commuters about approaching trains at unmanned crossings - tried to
stop the van but it was too late."He (the driver) didn't pay any heed, this is a case of pure negligence," said a Railways spokesperson.The
vehicle mostly had children below 10, he said.A huge crowd has gathered around the yellow van, which was badly smashed on impact.An accident
relief medical train from Gorakhpur, the home base of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has been sent to the crash site, he said
The chief minister also rushed to the accident site.Yogi Adityanath has ordered top officials of Gorakhpur to inquire into the accident
The Chief Minister has also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the children.President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi were among those who tweeted expressing grief over the accident."I am extremely saddened on hearing about the death
of 11 school students in a collision between a school van and a train in Uttar Pradesh's #Kushinagar
UP government and railway dept will take appropriate action," tweeted PM Modi.India is home to hundreds of railway crossings that are
unmanned and particularly accident prone, with motorists often ignoring oncoming train warnings
Nearly 15,000 people die on the country's railways every year, according to a 2012 government report.The government has vowed to upgrade
unattended railway crossings next year to reduce fatal accidents.
