A day after a train smashed a school bus at an unmanned level crossing in Medak district of Telangana, killing 20 people including 18 students, another school bus had a narrow escape on Friday.
Bus of Chaitanya Tecno School at Jaggayyapeta in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, carrying 48 children to school on Friday morning met with a major accident when one of its rear wheels got detached from the bus. Providentially none was injured as the bus was going at a slow speed. The accident, which occurred near Ramachandrunipeta village left the students shocked. The bus was bringing students from nearby village of Khammam and Krishna districts to the school.
Revenue and Transport Department officials said that they will conduct a thorough probe and take necessary action to ensure that such accident doesn’t recur. Meanwhile, in a belated step, the South Central Railway authorities on Friday put up a gate at the unmanned level crossing at Masaipeta village of Medak district where a train had rammed into a school bus causing a horrendous tragedy on Thursday.
They also removed trees and bushes, which were obstructing the view of the tracks from the road due to which the driver of school bus could not see the approaching passenger train. The Railway officials also coloured the barricade and speed breakers so it becomes visible from a distance. A pall of gloom has descended on the villages to which the victims of the accident belonged. There was a hushed silence in Islampura village broken only by the wailing of the bereaved family members .
A large number of people from surrounding areas, including students of various schools visited the accident site on Friday to pay their tributes to the victims. Telagnana deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Medical and Health, T Rajaiah on Friday visited the Yashodha Hospital to see the injured students undergoing treatment. He also spoke to the parents and doctors. “A team of 40 doctors were monitoring the condition of the students round the clock”, the Minister said.
Seven students continue to be critical and are on the ventilators and nine others were stable, he added. Meanwhile SCR on Friday launched the probe into the incident and questioned the driver of the train Satyanrayana. He told the authorities that the negligence of the bus driver caused the accident. “Train was running at a speed of 90 kms per hour and I was sounding the horn continuously much before the level crossing”, he said. “When the train was just 100 meters away, suddenly the bus came on the tracks. I applied emergency brakes but it was too late”, he said. The train driver was undergoing treatment at lalaguda Railway Hospital in Secunderabad.