Jalandhar, May 20 (Inditop) At least six children and the driver of a school bus were killed Wednesday morning when their vehicle collided with a passenger train at an unmanned railway crossing in Punjab’s Jalandhar district.

While three students and the driver died on the spot, three critically injured children were declared brought dead at a hospital in Ludhiana city.

Fifteen children were also injured when the Akal Academy School bus met with the accident near Gumtala village near Nurmahal town, 40 km from here.

“Six students and the bus driver were killed,” Jalandhar district police chief R.K. Jaiswal told IANS.

Eyewitnesses told the police that the driver tried to cross the railway track even though the train was approaching.

The district administration has ordered a probe into the accident to be conducted by the additional deputy commissioner.

The injured children were rushed to hospitals in Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

At least 25 students have lost their lives in accidents involving school buses and trains at unmanned railway crossings in Punjab in the last two years.

By rounak