In a shocking incident, six teenagers were run over by a speeding train on Sunday, February 25, night, when they were walking across the track nonchalantly listening to music on headphones, according to an NDTV report.
The tragedy at Sadikpura in Pilkhuwa district of Uttar Pradesh has also left another teen critically injured, battling for his life.
An eye-witness claimed that the teenagers were walking too close to the railway tracks and did not see or hear the speeding train approaching as they were listening to music on the headphones.
The boys aged between 14 and 16 years were daily wage laborers and painters who were supposed to take a train from Ghaziabad to Hyderabad when the accident happened. The teenagers' bodies were sent for post-mortem after officials reached the spot. The boy who survived is admitted to a nearby hospital and is battling for his life.
The teens identified as Salim, Arif, Sameer, Akash, Rahul and Vijay lost their lives at 9 pm on Sunday night when the area reportedly has poor lighting. The seven teenagers had decided to take a shortcut to enter a nearby colony when they failed to notice the approaching train.
Although there is an overbridge to avoid such accidents, many residents often take the shortcut to cross the tracks, according to Hindustan Times.
A protest was staged at the railway tracks by the local residents who claimed there is constant movement of people in that area. They also said that when the trains are approaching, there are no warning signals to alert the people. Even children and elderly people are often seen crossing the tracks, NDTV reported.
Soon after the accident, senior officials District Magistrate Krishna Karunesh and Superintendent of Police Hemant Kutiyal reached the accident site to calm down the protestors and take the body for post-mortem.
