Seven school children were among eight killed and 15 others injured when their van collided with the Ferozepur-Bathinda express.
Seven school children were among eight killed and 15 others injured when their van collided with the Ferozepur-Bathinda express at an unmanned railway crossing at Gumtala village in Jalandhar district early on Wednesday.
The driver of the van of Akal Academy, Bilga, failed to notice the train, resulting in the mishap in Nurmahal area, police said.
The impact of the collision was so strong that the van was dragged with the train for over 200 meters away.
While three of the students and driver of the van were killed on the spot, four students succumbed to injuries in a hospital, they said.
Fifteen of the injured students were referred to Dayanand Medical College (DMC) and Hospital at Ludhiana, where condition of five was stated to be critical.
According to an eyewitness, the van driver failed to notice the train. Though the train driver applied emergency breaks, it was too late.
Immediately after the mishap, local residents held a protest at the accident spot, demanding immediate installation of a manned railway crossing on the spot.
The protestors dispersed only the after the district administration assured them that at least two policemen would be deputed at the crossing to facilitate smooth passage of vehicles till the railway authorities take necessary steps.
In a similar accident at the same spot on November 23, 2006, five girl students were killed.
The deceased students were identified as Manjinder Singh (15), his sibling Komalpreet Kaur (11), Jaskaran Singh (5), Sanjeev Kaur (14), Varinder Singh (15), Simarjeet Kaur (14), Jasleen Kaur (5) and driver of the van Gurmel Singh.
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