11 students in serious condition in bus mishap

Hyderabad, July 25: The condition of 11 students injured in the bus- train collision at an unmanned railway crossing in Telangana’s Medak district continues to remain serious today even as the district authorities and police have begun an inquiry into the mishap. Telangana health minister T. Rajaiah, who visited the private hospital in Secunderabad where 20 students injured in the mishap were undergoing treatment, said the condition of four students remains critical and seven others are on ventilator. Nine are out of danger.

Sixteen persons — 14 school children, the driver of the private school bus and the cleaner — were killed and 20 students were injured as a passenger train hit their bus at an unmanned railway crossing in Masaipet village on Wednesday.

The bus was being driven by another driver as the regular one was on leave. The children, aged between 5 to 15, had been picked up from various parts of Yeldurthy mandal and the bus was on its way to the school in Toopran.

State revenue minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, who also visited the hospital, said the South Central Railway should immediately take necessary measures to install gates at unmanned level crossings at all places in Telangana. Following an order from Medak district’s in- charge collector A. Sharat, the district authorities began an inquiry into the incident and the police was also carrying out a separate probe.