School van hits train in Punjab, 3 dead

A van carrying school children hit a train at an un-manned railway crossing in the Firozpur district of Punjab on Monday. Three children had died in the accident.

The school van was running at a fast speed and the driver couldn't control the vehicle at the railway line when the train appeared, said Firozpur police officials.

Three children died on the spot. The rest were taken to the hospital for treatment. The senior officials had rushed to the scene of accident. The incident has occurred just within days of a mishap in Rajasthan in which over a dozen children had died.

Seventeen children were injured in the accident. However, the children told police that they were asking the driver to slow down the van as the train was visible but he didn't listen.

Police officers said that the van was carrying children of various villages back home from the school. The children were students of DAV School. The state government had announced a compensatino of Rs 1 lakh to each of the victim's family and promised free medication to injured kids.

TIH Bureau