Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), 8 July 2025:
It is a tragic accident that happened this morning. A passenger train moving at a great speed collided with a private school van at a level crossing near Semmankuppam in Cuddalore and two school students died in the accident and many others were injured.
The head on collision occurred at around 7:45 am in a manned railway crossing on the CuddaloreAlappakkam line when the train no. 56813 between Villupuram and Mayiladuthurai hit the van. The two deceased students (named as Charumathi, 15, and Venkatesh, 10) were declared dead at the scene of the accident, although the driver and two other pupils were hospitalised with injuries in Cuddalore Government Hospital.
The officials of the railways and the police suspects the negligence on the part of the crossing gate keeper may have caused the tragedy. According to a preliminary investigation of railway inquiry, the gate was kept open even when the train was near. The driver is said to have tried to proceed even when the sign that showed he ought to cross was against it.
Superintendent of Police, S. Jayakumar, a narrator of the incident said, The van was thrown away very far considering the level crossing after it got hit stressing the large impact. People started acting up near the place and the gatekeeper was suspended temporarily in order to investigate this situation further.
The train had a railway relief team with the crew and a relief train was dispatched carrying medical support. An official accident enquiry committee comprising of the representatives of the safety department, the operation department, and the engineering department has also been created to find the guilty party and to prevent such an accident in the future.
The locals were complaining about the necessity of the enhanced safety conditions and were horrified with what happened. Manisamy, a nearby villager said, this would have been prevented by having good warning systems.
The Tamil Nadu Railway division has claimed that it would take action based on what the report of the committee reveals. They have assured the populace that they are doing all they can to ensure that people who cross the road adhere well to the crossing procedures and rulings, plus that they are equipping the places that are prone to accidents with safety equipment.
This fatal accident causes doubts in terms of the effectiveness of safety at the level crossing throughout the state. Following the death of two young people and several injuries, the pressure is on law enforcers to make immediate change possible, all the way to traffic lights on the rails, to high duty among the railway handlers.
Grief counselling services are being sent out by the local school authorities and the next of the kin of the students have been informed. It is envisaged that the identified issues raised during this enquiry will form a stepping stone towards effective safety overhauls that will safeguard the rail passengers in future along the level crossings.
