3 students killed as train hits school van in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore

The deceased were identified as Charumathi, 16, Sezhiyan, 15, and Nimalesh, 12. The injured include the van’s driver, a student, and a local resident, who reportedly suffered a non-fatal electric shock during the chaotic rescue operation.

Local emergency services rushed all the injured to a nearby government hospital in Cuddalore, where they are receiving treatment. The driver remains in a critical but stable condition.

A senior police official said the manually operated gate, Railway Level Crossing Gate No 170 between Cuddalore and Alappakkam, had no signal indicating that a train was approaching, nor was it closed. “We are investigating the role of the guard,” the official said.

Preliminary reports from railway officials indicate that the level crossing gate was not closed on time. Although the crossing was supposed to be manned, investigators are now questioning the signalman assigned to the location to establish whether human error and negligence also contributed to the failure.