HYDERABAD: A Hyderabad-bound passenger train from Nanded rammed into a school bus at an unmanned railway level crossing at Masaipet in Medak district on Thursday morning, killing 14 children along with the driver and the cleaner, and leaving the rest struggling for life with severe injuries. Level crossing number 233 has been without a gate for years despite authorities having made all arrangements.
The incident took place at about 9.10 am between Masaipet and Wadiaram railway stations in Veldurti mandal, about 70 km from Hyderabad. At least 36 students were aboard when the bus was on its way to the private Kakatiya Techno School at Too pran, about 8 km from the spot. The driver was identified as Bhikshapati Goud (60).
Twelve students and the driver died on the spot, while the survivors were taken to nearby hospitals in Kompally from where they were later shifted to Secunderabad.
The bus was squashed, crumbled and dragged up to 50 metres from the spot of collision. Shattered seats, books, tiffen boxes, shoes etc on the spot added to the gore. A pall of gloom had descended on the villages from where the students hailed. Hundreds of villagers gathered at the spot as soon as the news of the accident spread, making the relief activities difficult.
An auxilliary railway relief van was pressed into service from Nizamabad.
Tension prevailed at the scene of accident when authorities were trying to shift the bodies of the children to hospitals, where as the villagers wanted the chief minister to visit them first. Police had to resort to baton-charge when the villagers started throwing stones at them. They shouted slogans and attacked ambulances demanding justice, explanation and compensation, and tried to prevent the authorities from shifting the bodies.
Telangana education minister G Jagdeeshwar Reddy, irrigation minister T Harish Rao and transport minister P Mahender Reddy visited the spot. Others who were present include Congress leaders Ponnala Lakshmaiah, J Geeta Reddy, balladeer Gaddar, Chada Venkat Reddy, Telangana secretary of CPI, YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy, BJP Telangana President G Kishan Reddy.
Shattered father dies
It was a double whammy for the family. Shocked by the loss of his children in the train tragedy, a grieving father suffered a massive heart attack and died later in a hospital. Waliuddin of Kistapur village in Medak district, who couldn’t bear the death of Rasheed (6) and Ghousiya (4), also lost the battle with his life.