At least 15 people, including a newly wed bride, were killed, and one more seriously injured when an intercity train hit a jeep at an unmanned level crossing on Sunday evening.
At about 4 pm, the Bolangir-Bhubaneswar Intercity hit a Mahindra Bolero just as it was crossing the railway tracks near Dhangar village, between Bargarh and Barpali railway stations, 375 km west of Bhubaneshwar. The Bolero, packed with a marriage party — including the bride — traveling to the groom’s parents’ home after the wedding, burst into flames.
An angry mob soon gathered, blocking the railway track and setting fire to train’s engine.
The locals had been demanding a manned crossing at the spot ever since six people were killed in a similar accident at the same level crossing in 1983, police said.