13 children have died after their school bus collided with a train in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The students were all aged below 10.
The impact of the crash lifted the bus several metres into the air, killing 10 children instantly, district chief medical officer Akhilesh Kumar Singh said.
“Three succumbed to the injuries at the hospital and five remain critical,” he added.
The bus had been travelling across an unmanned railway crossing when the accident took place.
The incident comes weeks after 24 children died when their bus fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh state.
Road accidents are common in India, often due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.India has some of the world’s deadliest roads, claiming the lives of more than 150,000 people each year.
The latest incident took place in the Kushinagar region of Uttar Pradesh state. It is not yet known how many children were travelling in the bus.
The state government has ordered an investigation into the incident and announced compensation to the families of those killed in the accident.
Nearly 15,000 people die on the country’s railways every year, according to a 2012 government report.
India has vowed to upgrade unattended railway crossings next year to reduce fatal accidents.
