Karur: In an unprecedented tragedy that unfolded in Tamil Nadu a school bus crossing railway tracks was hit by a train. Two students died in the tragic collision, according to police.
Spine-chilling visuals coming from Sembankuppam, Cuddalore District, revealed a completely battered school bus left behind in the aftermath of the heart-dropping crash on Tuesday morning.
“Two students dead, two students and the bus driver injured,” said Cuddalore SP Jayakumar, adding that railway authorities and the State Police were working together for further investigation into the matter.
Another video shared by news agency ANI showed a large gathering of law enforcement authorities huddled together alongside locals watching scenes of restoration work underway at the Sembankuppam railway crossing.
The mini-school bus reportedly belonged to a private CBSE school. The Tamil Nadu tragedy is said to have taken place as the vehicle was trying to cross the manned Railway Level Crossing Gate No 170. According to a report by The Hindu, the bus came in the path of the passenger Train No 56813 Villupuram – Mayiladuthurai.
Preliminary details from the scene revealed the injured students were taken to the Government Hospital in Cuddalore for medical aid.
Initial stages of the probe reportedly disclosed that the gatekeeper was closing the gate when the bus driver insisted on crossing the gate even though he should have never been permitted to pass through. On the other hand, eyewitnesses shared a different account of the incident altogether, saying that the gatekeeper dozed off, failing to close the gate.
The gatekeeper assigned to the railway crossing location has since been suspended for negligence, as per reports.
Although the initial death toll of the Tamil Nadu accident stood at two, police said the number of fatalities could increase.
