4 Officials Suspended After 13 Kids Killed in Kushinagar Accident
Earlier, the school principal was arrested after Railway Minister Piyush Goyal ordered an inquiry into the matter.
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Collision of Train and School Van Kills 13 Children
Thirteen school children were killed in Kushinagar, in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday after a train and school van collided at an unmanned crossing.
The children who died on spot were students of Divine Public School, reported News18.
Eight of the 18 students on board the van were injured in the accident, The Times of India reported.
This is the second tragedy in a month involving school children. On 9 April, 23 children and four of the adults accompanying them were killed when their school van fell into a 100-ft deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district.
(More details awaited)
CM Announces Ex-Gratia of Rs 2 Lakh for Kushinagar Accident Victims
The Chief Minister, in a statement, expressed deepest condolences and directed the District Administration to provide all help and medical aid. He also declared ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs and also directed an inquiry into cause of accident.
DGP UP Urges Immediate Relief and Rescue Work After Kushinagar Accident
DGP UP OP Singh also expressed his condolences at the tragedy and said he has directed ADG Gorakhpur to reach the spot immediately and supervise the relief and rescue work.
ADG Speaks to the Media About Kushinagar Accident
Although 13 children were reported to be killed in the accident by PTI and local news channels, ADG (Law and Order) speaking to the media earlier said, “Total 18 school students were travelling in the vehicle out of which 11 have died, many of the rest 7 are critically injured, death toll may go up.”
Railway Minister Announces Ex-Gratia of Rs 2 Lakh for Kushinagar Accident Victims
Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal tweeted saying that he had asked his senior official to conduct an inquiry in the accident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to families.
Deeply Saddened by the Tragedy: PM Modi on Kushinagar Accident
Prime Minister while speaking to candidates, office-bearers and elected representatives of the BJP’s Karnataka wing expressed grief over the tragic accident and said, “I am extremely saddened on hearing about the death of school students in a collision between a school van and a train in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar. UP government and railway department will take appropriate action.”
Many took to Twitter to express grief and condole the tragedy as the day unfolded.
Chairman of Railway Board on Unmanned Crossing
Ashwani Lohani, Chairman of the Indian Railway Board, spoke with the media giving out numbers of unmanned crossings and promised that attempts will be made to alleviate unmanned crossings to check accidents.
Will Find Ways to Check Unmanned Crossings: Yogi Adityanath after Kushinagar Accident
Speaking to the media, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said, “13 students have died, 4 students and the van driver are critically injured. They are admitted at BRD Medical College.”
He promised an inquiry into the incident to identify those responsible for the tragedy, and said that he has spoken with the Railway Minister to find a way to keep a check on unmanned railway crossings.
CM Reaches Accident Kushinagar Accident Spot Amid Massive Protests
Massive protests by the parents and relatives of the 13 school children erupted when UP CM Yogi Adityanath reached the spot of the accident in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar.
Rahul Gandhi Expresses Grief Over Kushinagar Accident
Congress President Rahul Gandhi expressed his condolences on Twitter. He also asked local Congress workers to extend all possible help to the bereaved families.
Nautanki Bandh Karo: UP CM Yogi Adityanath to Protesting Parents
In a short video clip, UP CM Yogi Adityanath is seen losing his calm when he went to meet the grieving parents at the Kushinagar accident spot. He was greeted with slogans and protests.
He is heard saying, “Yeh naare baazi bandh kardein, mein bol raha hon note karlo. Nautanki bandh karo. Yeh dukhat ghatna hai (Stop sloganeering, stop this drama. This is a tragic accident).”
List of School Children Who Died in Kushinagar Accident
The list of deceased school children who lost their lives in the tragic train-van accident in Kushinagar shows that all of them were below 10 years of age.
Adityanath Visits Injured at BRD Medical College
UP Chief Mininster Yogi Adityanath visited BRD Medical College where the treatment of four children and the school driver of the van, which collided with a train at an unmanned crossing in Kushinagar, is underway, according to ANI.
The CM went to see the injured after being confronted by protestors at the site of the accident.
Railway Minister Orders Inquiry Into Kushinagar Train-School Van Accident
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has ordered an inquiry into the Kushinagar train-school van accident after he had already announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased.
The minister also said that the Railways will provide a relief amount of Rs 1 lakh for those with serious injuries and Rs 50,000 for those with simple injuries.
"My thoughts are with families of the deceased and I pray for the early recovery of the injured. Ministry of Railways will provide an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh for kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for those with serious injuries and Rs 50,000 for those with simple injuries," the railway minister said in a statement.
He said that he has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident, adding, "We stand committed to take all possible steps to avoid such accidents in future."
Lohani said there are currently 3,479 unmanned level crossings on broad gauge tracks of Indian Railways.
The Railways board chairman also said that a total of 109 accidents have taken place at unmanned level crossings in the country since 2014-15 and asserted that railways aim to eliminate unmanned level crossings by March 2020.
Divine Public School Principal Arrested
The principal of Divine Public School, whose 13 students were killed on Thursday, was arrested after Railway Minister Piyush Goyal ordered an inquiry into the matter.
FIRs were also lodged against the school management under various sections of the IPC. The entire matter will be probed under the supervision of Gorakhpur divisional commissioner.
CM Yogi Adityanath Orders Suspension of Officials, FIR Against School Principal
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has ordered immediate suspension of Basic Education Officer, Block Education Officers of Kushinagar and Dudhi. Adityanath also ordered for suspension of Road Transport Officer and the Passenger Tax Officer.
Police have registered a case against van driver Nayaz Ansari and Kushinagar's Divine Mission School under section section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Orders were issued to register an FIR against the manager and principal of the school who was arrested earlier for running it without without valid registration.
Some eyewitnesses told police that Ansari was talking on his mobile phone and refused to stop the van as a train approached the unmanned level crossing.
(With PTI inputs)
Railway Minister Holds Review Meet For Elimination of Unmanned Crossings
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal reviewed the plan for elimination of unmanned level crossing (UMLC) on Thursday where it was decided that its progress will be shared on a website to increase accountability, a statement from the ministry said.
The ministry said that significant progress had been achieved in this regard with only 58 UMLCs remaining on the A, B and C routes which account for more than 80 percent of the Indian Railways traffic.
"Target for eliminating UMLCs in 11 zones will be September 2018. For the remaining five zones targets will be set shortly and will be reviewed for early completion before the set target of 31 March 2020," the statement read.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath ordered the suspension of four officials from the education and transport departments in connection with the death of 13 children in an accident at an unmanned railway crossing in Kushinagar on Thursday.
Orders were issued to register an FIR was registered against the principal of Divine Public School who was arrested earlier for running it without without valid registration. The school van collided with a train at an unmanned railway crossing on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, adding that the incident has caused him deep distress. He asserted that the UP government and the Union railway ministry will take immediate action.
The children, all students of Divine Public School, were killed on the spot when the Siwan-Gorakhpur passenger train crashed into the van at the unmanned crossing gate in Behpurva.
- State government suspends four officials from the education and transport departments
- Police arrests principal of Divine Public School
- Yogi Adityanath visits injured students at the BRD medical college in Gorakhpur
- UP CM Yogi Adityanath announces ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the bereaved families
- Railways Minister Piyush Goyal orders an inquiry into the accident
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