Six teenagers were killed, and one critically injured, after a speeding train hit them in UP’s Hapur, on the night of Sunday 25 February. The boys were walking on the tracks, near Sadikpura in Pilkhuwa, when the speeding train hit them, NDTV reported.
The boys, all between 14 and 16 years of age, reportedly worked as daily wage labourers and painters and helpers. They had to take a train to Hyderabad, from Ghaziabad, for painting work, the NDTV report added.
They reportedly missed their train and were returning to Pilkhuwa when the accident took place.
Six of the boys, Vijay, Rahul, Arif, Akash, Sameer, and Salim died instantaneously, but one more victim, who hasn’t been identified yet, is in critical condition and fighting for his life. The boys were all reportedly wearing earphones, and couldn’t hear the sound of the train approaching.
Residents of Pilkhuwa blocked the railway tracks in protest, claiming that the accident was caused because the area is poorly lit at night and that people consistently cross the train tracks, as “a shortcut,” NDTV added. Residents added that there was no warning if a train was crossing, and that children and the elderly often cross the tracks at the same spot.
Police have been deployed in Sadikpura to prevent tensions from escalating, NDTV added.
(With inputs from NDTV)
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