Train runs into truck,14 dead

Fourteen people were killed and 27 others seriously injured when an overcrowded Ayodhya-bound passenger train collided with a sand truck at an unmanned railway crossing near Rasoolpur village between Nawabganj and Tikri railway stations in Gonda district on Sunday afternoon.

The collision left 11 train passengers,most of who were travelling on the roof,dead on the spot,while three others succumbed to injuries in hospitals in Faizabad and Nawabganj. A special medical train was sent to the spot even as railway movement on the route was affected.

Rail Safety Commissioner P K Bajpai has been asked to probe the accident and submit a report by November 5. The Railways has announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the dependents of the deceased,Rs 1 lakh each for those seriously injured and Rs 10,000 each to those with minor injuries.