17 school children killed in tragic bus-train collision

At least 17 students were killed and 12 injured when a School Bus carrying them collided with a train at an unmanned railway crossing in Masayipet of Veldhurthi Mandal of Medak District on Thursday.

According to the South Central Railway officials, the accident occurred between Masaipet and Wadiaram railway stations on the Secunderabad-Nizamabad section of Hyderabad division at 9.10 am. As the bus was carrying about 40 children to a private school - Kakatiya Techno School - from Islampur to Toopran, it was hit by the Nanded-Secunderabad Passenger train which travelling from Nanded in Maharashtra to Hyderabad. The bus driver and helper were also killed on the spot.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed shock over the accident and offerred all assistance to the families of the victims. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu also expressed shock over the incident.

The injured have been shifted to different corporate hospitals and a few of them are said to be in a critical condition.