Most of the children in the bus were below 10 years of age
In a tragic accident,
13 school children were killed and 8 were injured after their school bus carrying nearly 25 students collided with a speeding train. The accident happened at an unmanned crossing in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar, around 50 km from Gorakhpur. Most of the children in the bus were below 10 years of age, an official told news agency PTI. Accident relief medical train has been sent to the accident site from Gorakhpur. Many, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have tweeted their condolences on the tragedy.
Here are the updates of the tragedy in Kushinagar:
Yogi Adityanath has said the mistake appears to be of the driver and also promised strict action.
Raliway Board Chairman also spoke about about the accident; the latest casualty reports put the toll at 13.
Yogi Adityanath visited the injured students and the families of the victims.
A railways spokesperson said the driver did not stop the vehicle even after the "Gate Mitra" tried to stop the van. The case is of pure negligence. A huge crowd has gathered around the yellow van, which was badly smashed on impact.
The injured are being treated at the hospital.
Gate Mitra (person who alerts road-users about approaching trains at unmanned crossings) had tried to stop the accident but in vain. The accident happened near Dudhi station in Banaras division at gate 45.
President Ram Nath Kovind also tweeted his condolences.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences on the tragedy
Railway minister Piyush Goyal has also announced compensation and tweeted that senior officials would probe the accident.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also announced compensation of Rs. 2 lakh for the families of the victims and instructed top officials of Gorakhpur to conduct an inquiry into the accident.
The accident occurred on Thursday when the school bus of Divine Public School, carrying nearly 25 students, was passing through the unmanned crossing gate at Behpurva in Khushinagar and collided with the speeding train, an official told PTI, adding that 13 children were killed on the spot. The injured were rushed to a hospital.