Seven school children killed in van-train collision

Seven school children lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi when the van they were travelling in collided with the Allahabad-Varanasi passenger train at an unmanned railway crossing today.

As many as 12 children are reported to be injured in the accident. The van belonged to Tender Heart Public School.  The injured have been rushed to the Institute of Medical Sciences-Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi. As per initial reports, the driver of the train refused to stop despite a signal from the gangman.

The accident highlights the danger of unmanned railway crossings. There are reportedly 10,440 unmanned level crossings (more than 35 per cent of all crossings) in the country. Though the Ministry of Railways plans to eliminate them in a phased manner, the Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha told the Rajya Sabha earlier this year that no fixed annual targets have been set for the elimination of these crossings.