TRAIN CRUSHES 3 KIDS TO DEATH NEAR KIRATPUR

KIRATPUR : Three children were crushed to death by a passenger train near Kiratpur Sahib here on Sunday, police said. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The incident took place when four children of migrant labourers were playing near the railway track close to a bridge over Sutlej river, they said. The fourth child was injured in the incident and was admitted to a hospital, said police. The boys were in the age group of 7 to 11 years, police added. Punjab school education minister Harjot Singh Bains expressed grief and said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

KIRATPUR: Three children were killed in a train accident on Lohand bridge near Kiratpur Sahib in Punjab at 11:20 am on Sunday. One child miraculously escaped unhurt.

While two children died on the spot, the third child was seriously injured after his arm got amputated upon impact. He later died during treatment at the civil hospital, Kiratpur Sahib.

The incident took place when train number 04501 from Saharanpur to Una in Himachal Pradesh reached near Kiratpur Sahib. Four children, who had gone to pluck Jujube (ber) and were crossing the bridge, were run over by the train near the Lohand bridge on Sutlej.

Rohit Kumar (11), Mahindra (7) and Vicky (10) died in the incident, while Pawan (10) escaped unhurt. The parents of the victim were working as labourers and lived near railway lines. Pawan, son of Baharan, the fourth child who survived the accident, said they were returning via railway bridge after having Jujube (ber) fruit across a river. They didn’t hear the train, and by the time they noticed it was too late. Two died on the spot, while one died on the way to the hospital. Pawan said he escaped as he fell from the railway line and hung onto the bridge. The accident was so severe that the bodies of small children and their blood were scattered on the railway track.

ASI Jagjit Singh said that the police have sent the bodies for a post-mortem. Punjab school education minister Harjot Singh Bains expressed grief and said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

“In a very sad incident, 3 children have lost their lives in a Rail Accident in Kiratpur Sahib. An enquiry has been ordered. My sincere condolences to the grieved families,” said Bains in a tweet. Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh sought compensation to the affected families. “Distraught to hear about the news of a passenger train crushing 4 children causing 3 of them to die on the spot near Sri Kiratpur Sahib today. My condolences are with the family and I urge @PunjabGovtIndia to provide appropriate compensation to the families,” said Singh in a tweet. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also expressed grief over the incident. “Saddened to hear that 3 kids lost their life in a tragic incident near Kiratpur Sahib where a train crushed them to death when they were crossing a railway track. I pray to Gurusahab to grant peace to the innocent souls and strength to the families to bear this irreparable loss,” said Badal in a tweet.

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring tweeted, “Shocked and grieved beyond expression over the tragic death of three children near Kiratpur Sahib who were run over by a train today. My profound condolences to the parents.”