PM condoles Kushinagar school van tragedy

Lucknow, Apr 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the death of at least 13 schoolchildren who were killed in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh early Thursday morning.

"I am extremely saddened to hear about the death of school students in a collision between a school van and a train in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar. The UP government and the Railway Department will take appropriate action," the PM said.

Police said as per the eye-witness, the driver of the Divine Public School van failed to hear the whistle of the oncoming train as he had put ear plugs and was listening to music.

Expressing grief over the tragedy, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has ordered an inquiry into the mishap.

"I have asked senior officials to conduct an inquiry into the incident. Railways will provide an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh each to families of the deceased," Mr Goyal tweeted.

Meanwhile, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has rushed to Kushinagar to meet the family of the deceased children and visit the hospital were the injured were admitted.

The UP government has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh each to the family of the deceased.

Mr Adityanath has ordered an immediate inquiry into the matter by the Gorakhpur Commissioner and directed the district administration to provide all possible help and medical aid to the victims.

An accident relief medical train from Gorakhpur has been dispatched to the site.

The mishap took place when the passenger train crashed into the van at the unmanned crossing gate at Behpurva. As per witnesses, all those killed in the crash are aged under 10. Many of those injured could not even be taken to the hospital and succumbed to their injuries on the spot.

Eyewitnesses are blaming the administration as the incident took place on an unmanned railway crossing. The death toll is likely to rise.