CUDDALORE: A student, who had a miraculous escape with injuries when a speeding train hit his school van, said the gate at the railway level crossing at Semmamkuppam near Cuddalore district was open and the gatekeeper Pankaj Sharma was inside his cabin.He said when the van approached the gate around 7.30am on Tuesday, it was open. The van passed through the level crossing, and a speeding train hit the vehicle, killing three students, including his younger brother, and injuring him and two others.The injured student, identified as V Viswesh, suffered a sprain in his left shoulder and was undergoing treatment at the Cuddalore govt general hospital. He said the gatekeeper’s negligence led to the accident.

“As usual, we were proceeding to the school in the van. My schoolmate, his elder sister, and my younger brother were in the van with me. We used to cross the railway gate around 7.30am every day. Mostly, the gate will be closed to prevent pedestrians and vehicles from passing through the level crossing when the trains pass through. The gate was open today (July 8), and we, including the driver, thought the train had already crossed,” said Viswesh.

He added that they did not hear the train’s air horn, and the driver, on seeing the gate open, proceeded to pass through the level crossing when a speeding train hit the van from behind. “Within seconds, I was on the ground beside the railway line. I was not unconscious. I could see the gatekeeper in his cabin,” he said.A cross-section of villagers blamed the railway personnel, particularly the gatekeeper, for the mishap.

“We suspect that he fell asleep after consuming liquor or some intoxicating substances today,” said S Gunasekaran, 73, from the village, who lives within 100m of the railway level crossing.P Venkatesan, 43, another villager, said the gate was not closed even when the previous train passed through the level crossing. P Padmavathy said that she initially mistook the deafening noise for a clash between two groups in the village. “Only one student and the van driver were conscious while others were motionless when we reached the accident site,” she said.