Howrah-Bhopal express crashed into car in Jharkhand; 14 killed

RANCHI: Howrah-Bhopal Express crashed into a car at Howrah-Dhanbad route near Bhurkunda railway station in Dhanbad division under Ramgarh district late on Monday night in which 14people killed. The SUV car was crammed beyond capacity with passengers. All people those were sitting into car, died in the accident. All killing people were members of one family and were returning home from a ' mundan ' ceremony in Ramgarh. They belonged to Patratu under Ramgarh district. A few bodies were trapped inside the damaged car and others were thrown out into the open after the powerful crash. Tamilvanan said seven children, four women and three men were killed as the car was dragged by the Bhopal bound train for a few meters after the collision. The district administration has informed the relatives of the died person who will be handed over the bodies after postmortem. A police officer said the car driver seems to have chosen the ' unauthorized entrance ' to shorten travel distance and possibly due to dark failed to see the approaching train. The railway track sweeps down a slight curve near the accident site and, police said, it might be another reason why the driver failed to see the train approaching. PRO Dhanbad division Sanjay Kumar Prasad claimed the place where the accident took place was not an unmanned railway crossing, rather it was an unauthorized entrance reportedly made by the locals. He said the train ' s engine suffered minor damage due to collision. "The vehicle was trapped in the engine forcing it to stop," Kumar said. A railway team arrived later to restore the services and launch a rescue operation.