At least three students were killed after a school bus crossing a railway track was hit by the Villupuram Mayiladuthurai express train in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore city.

Other students and the bus driver were injured and taken to the Cuddalore Government Hospital for treatment. The exact number of those injured has not yet been confirmed, and an investigation is currently ongoing.

The initial investigation had revealed that the reason for the accident was that the railway gate was not closed when the train arrived in Cuddalore. The Indian Railways has announced an ex gratia amount of Rs 5 lakhs each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

According to reports, the school bus driver failed to notice the approaching train while attempting to cross the railway tracks. The train, travelling from Villupuram to Mayiladuthurai, collided with the train and flung it several feet away, shattering the vehicle. The collision has caused widespread shock and panic in the area.
 

The bus was reportedly carrying five students, of whom three were killed due to the collision. Police have begun an investigation into the incident and are probing an alleged safety lapse, after eyewitnesses slammed railway authorities for negligence and claimed that the gatekeeper failed to close the gate on time.

Parents of the injured students reached the site of the accident and attacked the gatekeeper, saying he was sleeping while the train approached the school bus. The accident highlighted concerns over safety lapses in railway operations.

Later, the gatekeeper of Railway Level Crossing Gate No. 170 between Cuddalore and Alappakkam was suspended from his position. He had reportedly opened the railway crossing gate at the insistence of the school bus driver.

Taking to X, DMK leader Udhaynidhi Stalin said, “I am deeply saddened to hear the tragic news of a horrific accident in Cuddalore where a train collided with a school van, resulting in the loss of three students’ lives."

“The death of these little ones, who were heading to school with a thousand dreams, brings unbearable grief and pain. Arrangements have been made to provide appropriate medical treatment to those seriously injured in this accident, as per the orders of the Honourable Chief Minister @mkstalin, and compensation has been announced for the affected."