Five killed as train rams into bus in Sikar

Sikar, Aug 5 (UNI) Five people were killed and 19 injured when a private bus collided with a passenger train in Sikar district today.

According to police, the bus rammed into a passenger train travelling from Sardulpur to Sikar at Narodra railway crossing near Laxmangarh.

Three people, including the bus driver and an unidentified woman, died on the spot while 19 others were injured. Two of the injured Bhagwan Ram Luhar, (50) and Sitaram (55) died at the Sikar hospital.

The other dead were identified as Mahendra Balai (36) and bus driver Mula Ram Jat (40).

The district administration has decided to give Rs 10,000 compensation from the Chief Minister Relief Fund to the kin of the dead, Rs 5,000 to those injured grieviously and Rs 2,000 to those minor injured.

Railway sources from Jaipur said that a medical van and a team of doctors were on their way to the accident site. Even doctors from Bikaner, Ringus, Ratangarh and Churu have reached the site. Senior railway officials from Jaipur were also on their way to the accident site.

Sardulpur-Sikar train could begin its journey only after one hour and 15 minutes as the tracks were cleared.

Eyewitnesses say inspite of passengers asking the bus driver to slow down, he did not listen and speeded towards the track. Suddenly when he sensed the train was racing down, he just stopped on the track and panicky passengers ran helter-skelter.

The train rammed into the bus with a blast. The blast brought the villagers working in the fields to the site who helped to transfer the injured to the hospitals.

There was chaos in the hospital as a number of people apart from the relatives of the dead and administrative officials crowded the wards after the news about the accident spread.

UNI XC RRT SRS BST1713