Patna:

In an unfortunate accident, three teenagers lost their lives after being crushed by a train while engrossed in playing the mobile game (PUBG) in Bihar’s West Champaran district on Thursday, police said.

The accident occurred near the Royal School at Mansa Tola on the Narkatiaganj-Muzaffarpur rail section under the Mufassil police station.

The teenagers, all wearing earphones, were so absorbed in the game that they failed to notice an approaching train. Tragically, this distraction led to the accident, leaving the local community in shock.

Authorities have initiated an investigation and are working to determine the exact circumstances that led to the accident.

The deceased have been identified as Furkan Alam, a resident of Railway Gumti; Mansha Tola; Sameer Alam, a resident of Bari Tola; and Habibullah Ansari.

Following the accident, hundreds of local residents gathered at the scene in shock and grief. The families of the victims have taken their children’s bodies home for burial rites.

Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Vivek Deep and Railway Police arrived at the site to investigate the circumstances of the accident.

The teenagers’ distraction due to gaming and the conditions at the accident site are being examined.

“We are establishing communication to recover the dead bodies for the post-mortem. We are also trying to take statements from the deceased’s family members to find out the actual circumstances of the accident. Preliminary investigation reveals that they were playing games on the mobile phones while sitting on the railway track,” SDPO Vivek Deep said.

This incident has left the local community in deep mourning.

It has also raised concerns about the dangers of playing mobile games in unsafe environments, especially on railway tracks.

Authorities are urging parents to monitor children’s gaming habits and educate them about the importance of staying alert in public spaces to prevent such tragedies in the future.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Buxar:

At least four people were killed and several injured after the North East Express train derailed in Bihar on Wednesday. An official said that the incident took place close to Raghunathpur station near Buxar around 9.35 pm. The train, which started from Anand Vihar Terminus in Delhi, was on its way to Kamakhya near Guwahati in Assam.

Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey spoke to NDTV about the incident and said that the teams of the national and state disaster response forces have reached the incident site.

He also said that the injured people will be taken to AIIMS, Patna.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said that he has spoken to the Disaster Management Department, Health Department, and the district officials of Buxar and Bhojpur to speed up the relief and rescue work. 

बिहार सरकार तत्परता से ट्रेन हादसे के पीड़ितों और घायलों के बचाव, राहत एवं उपचार कार्यों में जुटी है। pic.twitter.com/WGj14vCoMm

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) October 11, 2023

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s office also said that they are “closely monitoring the unfortunate derailment” of the train in Raghunathpur. 

They added that they are in touch with the district authorities in Buxar and other agencies.

Chief Minister’s Office is closely monitoring the unfortunate derailment of Train Number 12506 in Raghunathpur and is in touch with the District authorities in Buxar & other agencies. @himantabiswa@Buxarprashasan@RailNfhttps://t.co/RWbzqTf8fU

— Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) October 11, 2023

Helpline numbers — Patna: 9771449971, Danapur: 8905697493, Commercial Control: 7759070004, Ara: 8306182542, New Delhi -01123341074, 9717631960, Anand Vihar Terminal – 9717632791, Commercial Control Delhi Division – 9717633779