MUMBAI: Thirteen children were killed on Thursday when a school van collided with a train at an unmanned railway crossing in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a police official said.

Eight children were injured and taken hospital, said the official, adding there were 22 children in the vehicle.

The accident took place early in the morning when the children were on their way to school. The van collided with the Siwan-Gorakhpur Passenger Train, but the cause of accident is not yet known, the police official said.

This is the second major accident involving school children in a little over two weeks.

At least 24 children and three adults were killed when a school bus plunged off a mountain road in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on April 9. </s> Onlookers gather around the mangled remains of a school bus after it was hit by a train in Kushinagar district in India's Uttar Pradesh state on April 26, 2018.

MUMBAI - Thirteen children were killed on Thursday when a school van collided with a train at an unmanned railway crossing in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a police official said.

Eight children were injured and taken to hospital, said the official, adding there were 22 children in the vehicle.

The accident took place early in the morning when the children were on their way to school. The van collided with the Siwan-Gorakhpur Passenger Train, but the cause of accident is not yet known, the police official said.

This is the second major accident involving school children in a little over two weeks.

At least 24 children and three adults were killed when a school bus plunged off a mountain road in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on April 9. </s> At least 13 children were killed and nine injured on Thursday when a school bus, in which they were traveling, was hit by a train at an unguarded crossing in India, police officials told EFE.

The accident occurred when the bus, carrying 22 students aged between 8-10 years, collided with the train in Kushinagar district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, district police official Sandeep Bhaskar told EFE. </s> A collision between a school bus and train in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has killed 12 children.

The bus driver, who ignored a guard’s signal to stop, was also killed in the crash and another 12 children, including five in critical condition, were taken to hospital with injuries.

The children, aged between five and 14, were on their way to school after the bus had picked them up from several villages.

A railroad guard posted at the un-gated crossing signalled for the bus to stop but the driver ignored the signal and crashed into the train, rail official Sanjay Yadav said.

Shocked parents and relatives of the children rushed to the accident site and the hospital after hearing of the crash.

Accidents are common on India’s railroad network, one of the world’s largest with 23 million people riding daily on about 11,000 passenger trains.

Crossings that lack gates to block traffic or are not guarded round-the-clock are common, especially in rural India, with poor financing often hindering efforts to improve safety. </s> At least 13 children have been killed after their school bus was hit by a train in and amp;nbsp;India and amp;rsquo;s and amp;nbsp;northern state of Uttar Pradesh. and amp;nbsp;The collision occurred as the bus was driving through an unmanned railway crossing at around 7.30am local time. and amp;nbsp;Pictures Credit: ReutersMusic Credit: Audioblocks, Serious Situation </s> 13 children killed as train hits school bus in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district, says official </s> At least 12 children are dead after a school van and a train collided at a railway crossing in northern India.

Officials said the accident occurred early Thursday as the van was transporting 22 students, all between the ages of five and 14, to a local school in Uttar Pradesh state.

READ MORE: 23 children killed in India when school bus plunges into gorge

Five injured students remained in critical condition, top police officer O.P. Singh said.

The bus driver, who reportedly ignored a guard’s signal to stop, was also killed in the accident.

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh state has ordered a probe to determine the cause of the incident.

The tragic crash is the second major accident involving school children in a just over two weeks. At least 24 children and three adults were killed when a school bus plunged off a mountain road in northern India on April 9. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The bus had been travelling across an unmanned railway crossing

Thirteen children have died after their school bus collided with a train in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police say.

The bus had been travelling across an unmanned railway crossing when the accident took place.

The incident comes weeks after 24 children died when their bus fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh state.

Road accidents are common in India, often due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.

The latest incident took place in the Kushinagar region of Uttar Pradesh state. It is not yet known how many children were travelling in the bus.

The state government has ordered an investigation into the incident and announced compensation to the families of those killed in the accident.

A statement from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said he was on his way to the site of the accident. </s> At least 24 children killed when bus, truck collide in India's Uttar Pradesh state

A truck loaded with sand has collided with a school bus, killing at least 24 children in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police say.

At least 24 other children were injured when the speeding truck collided head-on with the bus, said Javeed Ahmed, the state's top police official.

The children, between the ages of 3 and 14, were studying at a school in the town of Etah.

Another police officer, Daljeet Chaudhry, said visibility was low due to dense fog.

Police officer Parasuram Singh said the truck driver suffered serious injuries to his legs.

The area is about 270 kilometres south-east of New Delhi.

State education authorities had closed all schools in the district because of a severe cold wave, and Mr Ahmed said authorities would check why the school had stayed open.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences, saying he was "anguished" by the event.

Accidents are common on Indian roads, with most blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.
Thirteen children are killed after their school bus collides with a train in the Uttar Pradesh, India.