The bus that was smashed to bits after it was hit by a train at an unmanned railway crossing in a village in Uttar Pradesh was being driven by the cleaner, not the driver, at the time of the mishap.
The accident at Kanshi Ram Nagar district in the wee hours of Thursday killed 38 passengers. The bus was carrying members of a marriage party, who were on the way back to their village after the wedding.
According to some survivors undergoing treatment at the Etah district hospital, a heated argument has erupted between the bridegroom's family and the driver. When the driver refused to drive the vehicle, the cleaner promptly stepped in and offered to drive.
Minutes later, the vehicle was hit by the speeding Chappra-Mathura Express at an unmanned railway crossing at Adhupura, barely 250 metres away from the venue of the marriage.
The baraat was on its way back to the bridegroom's home in another village in Etah.
The bride and bridegroom were travelling in a jeep.
Most of the bridegroom's family members and other relatives were traveling in the bus.
"We can't say whether other members of his immediate family are alive. Our priority is to ensure treatment to the injured and to expedite the post-mortem and other related formalities for the dead," District Magistrate Selva Kumari told this scribe over the telephone.
Referring to the injured victims, she said, "Of the 31 survivors, three were critical and they were sent to Agra for specialised treatment at the medical college there."
She said, "Even though the passengers had suffered multiple injuries and were going through much pain and agony, they were declared to be out of danger."
Talking about the altercation between the driver of the bus and the bridegroom's family, she said, "Yes, I am told that for some reason the driver refused to drive and the cleaner took to the wheels; but I have yet to get a confirmation on that".
"As the bus went crashing under the wheels of the train, it was dragged for some distance before the train could come to a halt," said Abhilanshu, a scribe based in Etah.
He added, "The scene of the mishap spoke volumes of the misery and agony that the passengers must have gone through. Some of the dead bodies were lying in the mortuary with mangled bodies and multiple injuries. Even their own family members were finding it difficult to confirm their identities."
With several thousand railway crossings remaining unmanned across the country, such accidents are often reported. In UP, half a dozen such accidents have occurred over the past year.
