West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said he had directed the administration to provide all possible assistance. (File)
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday expressed grief over the school van-train accident in Murshidabad, extending condolences to the families of those killed, particularly the children, and assuring support to the injured and affected families.
In a post on X, Adhikari said he had directed the administration to provide all possible assistance. He said Minister Gouri Sankar Ghosh had visited the hospital, while the district magistrate and superintendent of police were supervising relief operations. He added that Health Minister Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee was overseeing treatment to ensure the injured received the best possible medical care.
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The chief minister further said negligence would not be tolerated and informed that the railway gateman had been arrested by the state police.
The Incident
Five people including three children have died after a train rammed a school van crossing railway tracksin West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Friday.
The tragedy unfolded moments after the Howrah-bound Nabadwip Dham Express passed through the area. Speaking to the Indian Express, a police officer said the railway crossing was shut when the express train passed. Soon after, it was opened even though a passenger train was scheduled to pass next. The driver of the van carrying school students spotted the open crossing and tried to drive across the tracks. At the same time, a cyclist tried to cross the tracks. “The Nimtita-Katwa local train, hurtling at high speed, rammed the school van,” said the police officer.
Train services on the Azimganj–Katwa section of Eastern Railway’s Howrah division were disrupted following the accident, the official said.
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