One person was killed and five others injured after they were hit by an EMU train while crossing a closed level crossing in Ghaziabad on Tuesday morning, the police said.
A senior police officer said that the deceased person is yet to be identified.
The incident took place around 8 a.m. in Ghaziabad’s Kotgaon, when a group of people started crossing the tracks hurriedly as a freight train passed through the level crossing. They were hit by the Dankaur-Shakur Basti passenger train at gate no. 153A.
As the police and GRP officials came to know about the incident, teams were dispatched to the spot. However, by the time they reached, some locals had already started the rescue operation. The police took the victims to a hospital.
The police said the victims could not see the train coming from the opposite direction and were hit. They have recovered four cycles, one scooter and one motorcycle from the spot.
One of the injured, a 17-year-old boy, has lost both his hands in the accident. He is currently battling for life at a hospital. The doctors said that attempts are on to save his life, but an infection has spread throughout his body.
Gate was closed
“The incident happened between Ghaziabad and Chipyana Buzurg. The gate was closed and they [the victims] were trying to cross the track after passing from under the gate. All the injured persons are being treated at MMG Civil Hospital in Ghaziabad,” Northern Railway Spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.
The police said that the initial investigation suggests that the victims could not see the train and were hit by it. Panic triggered in the area following the incident, they said.
The locals have alleged that several accidents have taken place at the said spot in the past.
“This level crossing remains mostly closed as Meerut, Tundla and Moradabad lines runs through this place. People often jump or pass from under the closed date of the crossing, thereby inviting untoward incidents,” said Rakesh Kumar, a local.
