Bihar: 21 killed as passenger train hits rickshaw

A railway official says 21 people have died after a passenger train hit an overloaded rickshaw at a railway crossing in Bihar. The crossing gate was open and the rickshaw was crossing the track when the train hit it.

A railway official says 21 people have died after a passenger train hit an overloaded rickshaw at a railway crossing in Bihar.

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Vinod Kumar said all the passengers and the driver of the motorised rickshaw died in the accident that occurred late Monday.

The crossing gate was open and the rickshaw was crossing the track when the train hit it, dragging it for about 500 meters (yards), Kumar said Tuesday.

Among the dead were seven children and six women. They were returning from offering prayers at a temple near Motihari, a town in Bihar.

More than 23 million passengers daily use India's 11,000 passenger trains.