A tragic accident in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district killed three people, two school children, on Friday morning as a passenger train collided with a school van at a railway crossing.
The accident took place around 7 am near the Karnasubarna railway crossing in the Berhampore area of Murshidabad. According to railway officials, the school van which was taking children to school was crossing the railway tracks when it was hit by the Nimtita-Katwa passenger train.
The force of the collision completely destroyed the vehicle, and pictures from the accident site showed the mangled remains of the school van scattered across the railway tracks. The impact pulled passengers from the vehicle and emergency workers rushed down to the scene to help.
The injured students were immediately shifted to Murshidabad Medical College Hospital and now are being treated. Hospital officials do not yet have details of all the patients admitted but are monitoring the injured children.
The eyewitnesses raise questions about the railway crossing.
The incident has generated serious concerns about safety procedures at the railway crossing.
The crossing gate had been closed for an up-line train to pass, said several eyewitnesses quoted in local media. But after that train crossed, the gate was reopened for road traffic.
Witnesses said that the gate was not closed again even though another passenger train was approaching on the adjacent railway track. The school van then crossed the crossing unaware of the incoming train and was struck by the fatal collision.
The conduct of the railway gateman has been under the microscope with investigators investigating whether there were any lapses in standard railway safety measures.
Investigation Underway
A railway official said the pool vehicle carrying students crossed the level crossing gate near the Karna Subarna station located around 48 kilometres from Katwa, when it was hit by the local passenger train.
Top officials from the West Bengal Police and the Indian Railways reached the site soon after the accident. The crash has been investigated into the crash.
The inquiry will cover a number of aspects, including the railway crossing, the gateman’s conduct during train operations and signalling; and whether any negligence would have resulted in the tragedy.
Officials will also need to review CCTV footage, take witness statements and check railway operating records to establish the timeline of events leading up to the accident.
New Train Crossing Safety Questions.
The incident has once again exposed the danger at railway level crossings. Indian Railways has been replacing many unmanned crossings with overbridges and underpasses in recent years but at manned crossings, accidents still occur due to human error or miscommunication or failure to follow operating procedures.
Experts in road safety have always emphasized the necessity of having very strict crossing procedures, and at school hours when children are being transported by road safety professionals have stressed the importance of safety. The accident has rocked the local community in shock with grieving families mourning for young lives lost in the accident. Residents also called for an investigation and action to be taken if negligence was identified.
As investigators continue to investigate, the question is whether the tragedy could have been prevented and what steps have to be taken to prevent such catastrophic accidents from occurring again.
