Killed on rly track as bus driver takes unmanned level crossing route
In a horrendous tragedy, 21 schoolchildren among 25 people died when their school bus collided with a train at an unmanned level crossing in Masaipet village of Telangana’s Medak district on Thursday morning. The children were in the 7-14 age group. The impact of the collision was so intense that the bus turned into a mess of mangled steel.
Bus driver Bhikshapati Goud, who died on the spot, had joined the duty three days ago. The driver’s decision to avoid nearby manned railway gates to take a shorter route and his failure to spot the oncoming Nanded-Secunderabad passenger train while crossing were blamed for the mishap. The bus, being driven by the new driver as the regular one was on leave, was carrying about 40 students of a private school at Toopran in the district.
The schoolchildren from Islampur, Gundreddy and other villages of Medak district were on their way to Kakaitya Techno School at Toopran town. While 15 children, bus driver and cleaner died on the spot, six children succumbed to injuries on their way to hospital. 21 injured children were rushed to Yashodha hospital in Hyderabad where condition of 15 students was stated to be critical, according to Dr Chandrashekhar.
The parents were so shocked that the father of two children, Wahid and Razia, died of heart attack after hearing the news. A resident of Kishanpur too suffered cardiac arrest, and died on way to hospital. Many families have lost two to three children in the accident.
The train was coming from Nanded in Maharashtra to Secunderabad and was running late. “If the train had been running on time, our children would have been alive,” said one resident.
Enraged villagers complained that despite their decades old demand, Railways had not put a barricade and guard at the level crossing.
A large number of people, including politicians, reached hospital to console the devastated families.
As the news about the accident spread like wildfire, thousands of locals gathered on the spot. At one stage, police had to use mild force to keep the situation under control.
Senior Minister T Harish Rao announced that the families which had lost children will be paid an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh. The expenses of treating the injured will be borne by the Government.
South Central Railway has ordered an enquiry into the incident. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Governor ESl Narasimhan expressed shock and grief over the loss of lives in the accident. Minister Harish Rao visited the scene of accident.
Education Minister Jagdishwar Reddy is camping at the hospital. The tragedy has evoked a strong reaction from political leaders.