A nine year old boy died and another 15 sustained injuries when a private passenger bus collided with a train at the railway crossing near Thalaimannar railway station around 2pm yesterday.
Around 30 passengers had been on board the bus and 20 of them were schoolchildren. Two passengers had sustained serious injuries.
Police had arrested the bus driver and the conductor for investigations.
“The Police are conducting investigations to ascertain whether the railway gates had been properly functioning at the time of the accident and whether the cause of the accident was reckless driving or negligence,” Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said.
The injured persons had been admitted to Mannar and Thalaimannar hospitals. The bus was transporting schoolchildren.