Chennai:  On Tuesday morning, a tragic incident occurred near Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, where two students lost their lives and at least four others sustained injuries after a school bus collided with a train while trying to cross a railway gate. The accident took place at Semmankuppam, located about 25 km from Cuddalore, as the children were en route to school.

According to initial reports, the railway gate was open when the train passed through the crossing. Some accounts suggest that locals discovered the gatekeeper asleep when they approached him following the accident.

The collision was so forceful that the school van, belonging to Krishnaswamy School, was dragged roughly 50 meters from the railway tracks.

In related news, school and college hostels operated by the Tamil Nadu government have been renamed as Social Justice Hostels.

The gate was non-interlocked, and the van was struck by the Villupuram–Mayiladuthurai passenger train.

However, Southern Railway stated that preliminary investigations indicate that while the gatekeeper was in the process of closing the gate, the van driver insisted on being allowed to pass. “This should not have been allowed. A committee of officers from the Safety, Operation, and Engineering branches is looking into the matter,” the SR mentioned in a statement.

Cuddalore District Collector Sibi Adithya Senthil Kumar and Superintendent of Police S. Jeyakumar arrived at the scene to investigate the incident. Locals have claimed that the gatekeeper’s negligence in leaving the gates open led to the accident, asserting that the driver attempted to cross the tracks because the gates were not closed.

Most of the injured individuals are believed to be children who were on the bus. Train services between Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai have been disrupted due to the accident.

Southern Railway has dispatched a railway relief train equipped with a medical relief van to the site. The Divisional Railway Manager and Branch Officers are en route to the location.