Bihar: Family of three including a minor dies in train-car collision

The accident, which occurred about 20 kilometres from Patna, once again underscored the lethal consequences of disregarding safety measures and the pitfalls of using unauthorised railway level crossings.

Three members of a family, including a minor girl, died on Saturday morning, when their sports utility vehicle (SUV), while taking a short cut via an unauthorised railway level crossing was rammed by an oncoming express train between Pothi and Nadwan railway stations on the Patna-Gaya rail route.

The authorities of the East Central Railway (ECR) zone, which controls the Danapur division, have blamed the accident victims for trespassing and ruled out any compensation from their end. (PTI)

The accident, which occurred about 20 kilometres from Patna, once again underscored the lethal consequences of disregarding safety measures and the pitfalls of using unauthorised railway level crossings.

The incident has prompted the Union Ministry of Railways authorities to seek a report from the Danapur rail division under whose jurisdiction the accident occurred.

The authorities of the East Central Railway (ECR) zone, which controls the Danapur division, have blamed the accident victims for trespassing and ruled out any compensation from their end.

The victims, who belonged to Patna’s Boring Road, were returning from Dharhara.

Government rail police (GRP) personnel said that the deceased were identified as Surendra Bihari Singh (42), wife Nilima Bihari (35) and their minor daughter. The couple was software engineers and they were working at Noida in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar district.

Local villagers said that the accident occurred, when Singh was on his way to Boring Road from his in-laws’ place at Dharhara.

The SUV’s rear wheel got stuck between the railway tracks and boulders.

Unfortunately, the oncoming Patna-Ranchi Janshatabdi special train rammed the vehicle even before it could get off the track.

The impact reduced SUV into a mass of mangled metal as the train dragged it for a kilometre, local eye-witnesses said.

The accident held up rail traffic on the route for two and a half hours on Saturday morning.

“The rail traffic resumed after the debris and bodies were cleared from the track around 11 am on Saturday,” said a rail official.

GRP and railway officials, including Sunil Kumar, divisional railway manager (DRM), Danapur, were engaged in rescue work along with local villagers.

Rajesh Kumar, chief public relations officer (CPRO), ECR, said the accident occurred because the local villagers have been turned the spot into an unauthorised level crossing and encouraged the public to use it as a short cut, but often leading to tragic consequences such as the accident on Saturday morning.