Speeding train crushes six teenagers at Sadikpur in Hapur
Highlights
- Six boys between 14 and 16 years of age run over by train in Hapur, UP
- Locals say teenagers had earphones on, couldn't hear approaching train
- Teenagers were daily wage labourers who worked as painters
Six teenagers died instantly and another is battling for his life after a speeding train hit them, in Hapur on Sunday night. Eyewitnesses claim the boys were apparently, casually, walking across the track when the train hit them at Sadikpura in Pilkhuwa.
Seven boys between 14 and 16 years of age were daily wage labourers and worked as painters and helpers. All seven of them, who were friends, were supposed to take a train from Ghaziabad for a painting contract in Hyderabad. But they missed their train and returned to Pilakhua a little after midnight.. Six of them, Vijay, Akash, Rahul, Sameer, Arif and Salim died on the spot as the train hit them while another boy who has not yet been identified is battling for his life in the ICU. All of them had ear phones and were listening to music, say locals.
After the incident local residents blocked the railway track in protest, they claim the area is poorly lit at night and there is continuous movement of people who reportedly take a shortcut by crossing the train tracks. Residents claim there is no warning when trains arrive and even the elderly and children on their way to school often cross the tracks at that spot.
A large contingent of police force has been sent to tackle the situation in Sadikpura. The superintendent of police Hemant Kutiyal and the District Magistrate Krishna Karunesh have rushed to the spot after tension erupted in the area.