Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today instructed officials to use an air ambulance to shift those school children injured in the Mau train-school van collision to hospitals where they would get best medical care.
After reaching the accident site at Mau along with senior railway officials, he also promised that steps would be taken to improve rail safety considerably.
Five kindergarten children were killed and eight injured when their school van was hit by the Varanasi-bound passenger train at an unmanned railway crossing in Mau in Uttar Pradesh around 8 am.
"Heart wrenching to see children suffer. Have ordered an air ambulance and best medical care for the injured," Prabhu tweeted.
"Due to bad weather instead of air evacuation using special medical train or special ambulance with ventilator to get injured to Lucknow," he said in another tweet.
Prabhu also mentioned that four children moved with life support system in four ambulances to BHU.
"Will get better care at BHU", he wrote, adding, "Tomorrow morning will use air ambulance. Saving the lives of children is our only priority. I am monitoring the situation closely."
Acknowledging the need for improving the system, he promised to take all possible steps to improve railway safety.
"Will take all measures to ensure that there is a substantive and marked increase in railway safety during our time in Government," he tweeted.
"Improvement of rail safety is the number one priority of the Indian Railways," he said in another tweet.
Railways announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for seriously injured and Rs 20,000 for those who sustained simple injuries.
