20 students killed as train hits bus in Telangana

             

             

    At least 20 students were killed and 10 injured when a school bus carrying them collided with a train at a railway crossing in Medak district of Telangana Thursday, police said.

                  The bus driver also died while another 16 children ages 7 to 14 were injured and hospitalized, said police officer Ravi Nallamala.

                  They were on their way to the school in Toopran Thursday morning when the crash happened in Medak district in Telengana state, Nallamala said.

                  As the bus was crossing the unmanned gate, Nanded-Secunderabad passenger train hit the vehicle.

                   The toll could rise as many of the injured are in a critical condition.

                     Accidents are common on India's railroad network, one of the world's largest with 23 million people riding daily on about 11,000 passenger trains. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.

                    There are hundreds of unmanned crossings across the country, especially in remote areas. Poor finances limit efforts by rail authorities to staff the dangerous crossings around the clock.