5 of family killed as goods train hits bike at unmanned crossing

Bareilly: Five members of a family, including two children, were killed after a freight train rammed into their motorcycle while they attempted to cross an unmanned railway crossing, when all five were riding on the same bike near Roza Junction in Shahjahanpur district around 7.30pm on Wednesday. The crossing, located beyond the station platform, was open and unmannedHariom, 40, a resident of Banka village in Lakhimpur Kheri; his brother-in-law Sethpal from Bikanna village in Shahjahanpur; Sethpal's wife Pooja, 35; and their two children, Surya, 4, and Nidhi, 5, were returning home after shopping at a weekly market when the accident occurred, police said.Teams from Roza police station and GRP rushed to the location soon after receiving information, secured the site, and took custody of the bodies. Inquest proceedings were conducted at the spot before the bodies were sent for postmortem examinations.Police and Government Railway Police (GRP) officials said the impact was extremely severe, causing the motorcycle to get stuck under the train and dragged for nearly 500 metres along the track. SSP Shahjahanpur Rajesh Dwivedi told TOI, "All five died on the spot. The bodies have been taken into custody and sent for postmortem."Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved families. He directed district officials to reach the spot immediately and ensure that relief-related procedures were completed without delay. He also ordered a thorough probe into the incident and asked officials to extend all possible assistance to the families of the deceased.(With inputs from Asif Ansari)