Kolkata: Three people, including two schoolchildren, were killed after a school pool car was struck by a train in India's eastern state of West Bengal on Friday morning, an Eastern Railway official said.
Three others, including the pool car driver, were injured in the accident, which occurred at around 7 am at a level crossing near Karna Subarna railway station in Murshidabad district.
The level crossing gateman has been arrested on charges of alleged dereliction of duty, the official said.
India's Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh (approximately USD 11,600) to the families of each of the deceased.
According to railway officials, the pool car was transporting children to school when it attempted to cross the railway tracks near Karna Subarna station, around 48 kilometres from Katwa, and was hit by a local passenger train.
The injured were first taken to a nearby hospital before being shifted to Bardhaman Medical College and Hospital for further treatment.
Eastern Railway has constituted a 10-member inquiry committee to investigate the cause of the accident.
The investigation will examine why the level crossing gate was reportedly open while the train was approaching.
Railway officials said train services on the Azimganj–Katwa section of Eastern Railway's Howrah Division were disrupted following the collision.
