Trip to attend funeral sounds death knell for 18

Kancheepuram, Oct 31 (UNI) Eighteen people, including 14 women, were killed when the auto in which they were travelling was hit by a EMU train at an unmanned level crossing in Pudupakkam Village of this district of Tamil Nadu.

Police and Railway sources told UNI that the victims were on their way to attend a funeral in the village when the accident took place.

The vehicle got stuck on the railway tracks when the auto driver tried to cross the track without noticing the Chennai Beach-bound train from Tirumaalpur.

The impact of the collision was such that the overcrowded auto was dragged to a distance of about one km, crushing to death 17 passengers and a driver to death to death. None of the bodies could be identified as they were mutilated beyond recognition.

Severed limbs and blood-stained bodies were found strewn all along the railway track and the mangled auto was flattened to a metal sheet.

The victims, hailing from Orikkai village, had hired the auto to attend the funeral of one Annammal (75), who died last night at Pudupakkam Village.

Expressing anguish over the incident, Minister of State for Railways R Velu said senior officials, including the Divisional and Assistant Railway Managers, had rushed to the spot and the Ministry would take further action after getting reports from them.

There were 18,000 unmanned level crossings in the country and the Ministry had put up caution boards, appealing to people to take utmost care while crossing the tracks.

''Despite this, the mishap has taken place. It is very unfortunate,'' Mr Velu told a private Tamil satellite channel.

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