<p>At least 16 children, driver and cleaner in a school bus were killed and 21 children injured when a passenger train rammed the vehicle at an unmanned level crossing near Masaipet in Medak district, about 60 km from Hyderabad, on Thursday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It is alleged that the driver of the bus was listening to music through earphones when the accident occurred. The bus was carrying 38 children between 4 and 14 years, all students of Kakatiya Techno School at Toopran.<br /><br />The bus was entering Masaipet village from neighbouring Islampur when it was hit by the Nanded-Kacheguda passenger train at the unmanned level crossing (Number 233) between Wadiaram and Masaipet railway stations on Hyderabad-Nizamabad section in Medak district in Telangana at 9:10 am.<br /><br />The train hit the bus at such a speed that the vehicle was pushed for almost a kilometre along the track before halting.<br /><br />“The loco pilot was sounding the horn from at least a kilometre ahead of the unmanned level crossing, but the school driver drove on. The train hit the bus with a deafening sound. The bus was catapulted into the air and pushed by the train.<br /><br />I saw a few children flying off the bus before hitting the ground,” said Bala Mahesh of Masaipet, who rescued three children from the mangled remains of the school bus.<br /><br />Driver Bhikshapathi Goud (60) and cleaner Edelly Ramu died on the spot. Goud was covering for a regular driver who knew the route well. But he chose a different route to enter Masaipet, leading the bus and the children into a death trap.<br /><br />Caught unawares<br /><br />According to Anjaiah, another eyewitness, the train came late which might have caught the driver unawares. The accident occurred at 9:10 am as the train was running four hours behind schedule.<br /><br />“The driver was trying to enter Masaipet to pick up students. He chose the route with the unmanned level crossing while other drivers prefer to enter Masaipet through Srinivasa Nagar, a few kilometres ahead of the level crossing.”<br /><br />A control room building and other structures at the entrance of the level crossing, where work is on to install a gate, might have blocked the driver’s view of the track. The loco pilot, too, could not see the bus coming towards the track due to the same reason.<br /><br />“Just two days ago, the South Central Railway (SCR) General manager had visited Masaipet and asked the officers to speed up the process of erecting a gate, as the number of trains using these tracks has increased,” an SCR officer supervising operations at Masaipet observed. <br /><br />The SCR has announced that 640 unmanned level crossings in Telangana will be upgraded with gates within a few months. The injured students were first rushed to Balaji and RR hospitals at Kompally in Rangareddy district and later shifted to Yashoda hospital in Secunderabad. Of the 22 students shifted, two were declared brought dead and 20 others are being treated.<br /><br />A team of 50 doctors is attending to the injured children. Sources at Yashoda Hospital said the condition of at least seven students is critical while that of three others is grave.<br /><br />Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao visited the hospital to personally monitor the situation. He announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to each of the bereaved families. He also ordered an inquiry into the incident.<br /><br />Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, who visited the site, said a case will be filed against the SCR for negligence.</p>
<p>At least 16 children, driver and cleaner in a school bus were killed and 21 children injured when a passenger train rammed the vehicle at an unmanned level crossing near Masaipet in Medak district, about 60 km from Hyderabad, on Thursday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It is alleged that the driver of the bus was listening to music through earphones when the accident occurred. The bus was carrying 38 children between 4 and 14 years, all students of Kakatiya Techno School at Toopran.<br /><br />The bus was entering Masaipet village from neighbouring Islampur when it was hit by the Nanded-Kacheguda passenger train at the unmanned level crossing (Number 233) between Wadiaram and Masaipet railway stations on Hyderabad-Nizamabad section in Medak district in Telangana at 9:10 am.<br /><br />The train hit the bus at such a speed that the vehicle was pushed for almost a kilometre along the track before halting.<br /><br />“The loco pilot was sounding the horn from at least a kilometre ahead of the unmanned level crossing, but the school driver drove on. The train hit the bus with a deafening sound. The bus was catapulted into the air and pushed by the train.<br /><br />I saw a few children flying off the bus before hitting the ground,” said Bala Mahesh of Masaipet, who rescued three children from the mangled remains of the school bus.<br /><br />Driver Bhikshapathi Goud (60) and cleaner Edelly Ramu died on the spot. Goud was covering for a regular driver who knew the route well. But he chose a different route to enter Masaipet, leading the bus and the children into a death trap.<br /><br />Caught unawares<br /><br />According to Anjaiah, another eyewitness, the train came late which might have caught the driver unawares. The accident occurred at 9:10 am as the train was running four hours behind schedule.<br /><br />“The driver was trying to enter Masaipet to pick up students. He chose the route with the unmanned level crossing while other drivers prefer to enter Masaipet through Srinivasa Nagar, a few kilometres ahead of the level crossing.”<br /><br />A control room building and other structures at the entrance of the level crossing, where work is on to install a gate, might have blocked the driver’s view of the track. The loco pilot, too, could not see the bus coming towards the track due to the same reason.<br /><br />“Just two days ago, the South Central Railway (SCR) General manager had visited Masaipet and asked the officers to speed up the process of erecting a gate, as the number of trains using these tracks has increased,” an SCR officer supervising operations at Masaipet observed. <br /><br />The SCR has announced that 640 unmanned level crossings in Telangana will be upgraded with gates within a few months. The injured students were first rushed to Balaji and RR hospitals at Kompally in Rangareddy district and later shifted to Yashoda hospital in Secunderabad. Of the 22 students shifted, two were declared brought dead and 20 others are being treated.<br /><br />A team of 50 doctors is attending to the injured children. Sources at Yashoda Hospital said the condition of at least seven students is critical while that of three others is grave.<br /><br />Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao visited the hospital to personally monitor the situation. He announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to each of the bereaved families. He also ordered an inquiry into the incident.<br /><br />Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, who visited the site, said a case will be filed against the SCR for negligence.</p>
