- At least 13 children were killed when a school bus was hit by a train at an unmanned crossing in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar area
- There were at least 20 to 30 children from the Divine Public School on the bus
- CM Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolences and has declared an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the deceased's families
At least 13 children were killed Thursday, April 26, morning, when a school bus was hit by a train at an unmanned crossing in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar area. Many children from the Divine Public School were killed on the spot, while several others are reportedly injured.
The accident took place at around 7 am at a railway crossing in Dudhi near Kushinagar, which is located 50 km away from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.
There were at least 20 to 30 children who were on the bus. The driver of the school bus has also been reportedly killed. The injured students have been shifted to Gorakhpur Medical College, First Post reported.
Condolences have been pouring in from all quarters
The state chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who represented Gorakhpur for five consecutive terms in Lok Sabha, has expressed his condolences on the unfortunate accident and declared an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the deceased's families, ANI reported.
The chief minister has directed the police commissioner of Gorakhpur to start an inquiry into the accident. Adityanath has also ordered the district administration to provide medical support to the injured.
CM expressed deepest condolences on this very unfortunate incident & directed District Administration to provide all help & medical aid, declared ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs & also directed an inquiry into cause of accident: Statement on Kushinagar accident wherein 11 children died
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 26, 2018
कुशीनगर जिले में हुए दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण ट्रेन दुर्घटना में स्कूली बच्चों की मृत्यु पर गहरा दुःख पंहुचा। ईश्वर से दिवंगत आत्मा की शांति एवं परिजनों को संबल देने की प्रार्थना करता हूँ। दुर्घटना से प्रभावित लोगों के समुचित इलाज की व्यवस्था कराने व हर सम्भव मदद करने के निर्देश दिए हैं।
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) April 26, 2018
Railway minister Piyush Goyal, in a statement, said: "I am deeply anguished and pained by the loss of lives of young school children at an unmanned level crossing (UMLC) in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. My thoughts are with families of the deceased and I pray for the early recovery of the injured."
He also added that the ministry of railways will provide a compensation amount of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the children with serious injuries and Rs 50,000 for those with simple injuries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the accident and said that he is extremely saddened hearing about the death of school children. While addressing the Karnataka faction through NaMo app, he also said that the Uttar Pradesh government and railway department will be taking the appropriate action, ANI reported.
Other accidents involving school children
Nearly 18 students were injured after a tempo collided with a school bus in north-west Delhi's Keshavpuram area Thursday, April 26, morning. While six children were critically injured, one of the students aged seven, succumbed to her injuries.
In a similar incident that took place in Telangana's Medak district, a bus carrying at least 40 schoolchildren collided with the Nanded-Hyderabad passenger train at an unmanned crossing July 24, 2014. Sixteen students, along with the bus driver and the cleaner, were killed in the accident. The 20 injured students were rushed to a nearby hospital in Kompally, near Hyderabad.
This is the second time this month that a school bus was involved in an accident. Nearly 23 children and four adults were killed when the school bus driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and fell into a 100-meter deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district April 9.
