Three die as train hits three-wheeler in Punjab

Rupnagar, Feb 16: Three persons including two women and a child were killed and three others injured when a passenger train hit a three wheeler at an unmanned level crossing on Rupnagar-Nangal section near Alipur village about eight kilometres from here this morning.

The accident took place around 0830 hours when the occupants of the three-wheeler were going to Alipur for attending a marriage. As the driver of the three-wheeler tried to cross the unmanned level crossing, the 2CNA-Down Churru-Nangal-Chandigarh-Ambala passenger train rammed into the three-wheeler and dragged it to a short distance on the railway track.

Three persons, including a child died on the spot while three others sustained injuries. The injured were immediately rushed to civil hospital here from where two were referred to PGI Chandigarh as their condition was serious.

The dead have been identified as Baljit Kaur (42) of village Suara in Mohali district, Karamjit Kaur (50) and Raman (10), both of Morinda. The injured were identified as driver Sukhdeep Singh of Suara, Mehar Singh of Morinda and Nirmal Singh of Rattangarh village in Rupnagar district. All the three deceased were relatives.

The three wheeler driver Sukhdeep Singh in his statement to the police claimed that the brakes of his vehicle failed when it reached the level crossing. The three-wheeler was on the rail track when the train rammed into it.

The departure of the train was delayed by about one and half hour due to the accident and the rail traffic on Rupnagar-Nangal section was also affected for some time. Senior police officials including Station Master Tejinder Singh, Station Supervisor R K Saroj immediately reached the spot on getting the information about the accident.

The residents of the area had for long been demanding that the Alipur and Thali village level crossings should be manned to avoid the occurrence of accidents.

UNI