4 crushed to death while crossing rail tracks

danapur: three women and a child were killed and two others injured when the 3447 up bhagalpur-dadar express ran over them at the hathidah railway station near mokama, 100 km from patna, on the patna-mokama section of the danapur division of eastern railway on friday noon. the two injured women were rushed to the government hospital at mokama, railway sources said.the incident took place when the victims were crossing the tracks. they apparently could not take notice of the speeding train which does not have a stoppage at hathidah. two of the women and the child died on the spot while another woman succumbed to her injuries later. railway sources identified the deceased as saraswati devi (45), wife of umesh singh; kanchan devi, wife of hriday singh; kanchan's two-year-old daughter mausam; and janaki devi (50), wife of jagdish singh. they were residents of the piprabandh village under the sonhu police station in jamui district. the women, it was learnt, had come for a holy dip in the ganga. they were returning home when the accident took place. a railway official at danapur said there is a over-bridge at hathidah. had the victims used the over-bridge, the mishap would not have taken place, he said. an eastern railway press release later claimed the tragic accident took place because the victims had ignored the announcement and notification issued by the railways in newspapers to use only the over-bridge for crossing railway tracks. a team of railway doctors from mokama and jhajha has rushed to the spot. senior railway officials have also reached hathidah. the bhagalpur-dadar express train, meanwhile, continued its onward journey after necessary formalities were completed at mokama.