Title - 2 killed in train-tractor collision

Gurdaspur:
Two persons were killed when a passenger train rammed into a tractor-trailer at an unmanned level crossing near Dhariwal, 10 km from here, this morning.The victims have been identified as Manpreet Singh and Sardari Lal. While Manpreet died on the spot, Sardari Lal succumbed to his injuries at the Gurdaspur Civil Hospital. The accident took place at 9.45 pm when the driver of the tractor-trailer failed to site the Pathankot-Amritsar passenger train.Joginder Singh Chhina, in charge, Dhariwal Railway Station, said traffic on this busy route remained affected for nearly four hours and the train engine was taken to Dhariwal for repairs.Dr Abhina Trikha, Deputy Commissioner, said the district administration would write to the Railway authorities about the dangers of unmanned level crossings in this district.A railway official said: “The Railways recorded about 15,000 deaths across the country in 2011-12. Experts say almost 70 per cent of these took place at unmanned crossings”. Residents living near the level crossing said the government should either shut all the unmanned level crossings or construct railway over-bridges to check such fatal accidents.