Agartala/Guwahati, Nov 20 : At least three people, including a mini truck driver, were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in collided with an express train in Tripura on Thursday, officials said.

Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, said that on Thursday afternoon, the down Agartalaâ??Silchar Express train was passing through the hilly Ambasaâ??Manu section in Dhalai district when a goods-laden mini truck suddenly entered the track.

The sudden entry of the truck led to a collision with the train engine, resulting in the death of the truck driver along with two other occupants. The vehicle was later cleared from the track, and the train resumed its journey, Sharma said.

The CPRO further stated that the incident occurred at an unauthorised crossing. Railway authorities had repeatedly attempted to close the crossing to ensure the safety of both rail and road users, but were unable to do so due to resistance from residents.

Recently, on October 5, Railway officials from Agartala visited the spot to close the unauthorised crossing, but could not proceed.

The NFR once again urged the public to stay away from railway tracks for their safety, stressing that unlawful crossing of tracks is dangerous and can lead to loss of life. It is also a punishable offence under the Indian Railways Act, Sharma added.

A police official said that the victims were identified as Pramesh Debbarma (23), Bupendra Debbarma (55) and Bina Debbarma (27).

All three died on the spot. Fire and Emergency Service personnel recovered the bodies and sent them to the hospital for post-mortem. This is one of the most serious accidents on railway tracks in Tripura in recent times.

Meanwhile, on October 5, a major tragedy was narrowly avoided when a Dharmanagar-Agartala DEMU passenger train collided with a mini truck loaded with brick chips near the same Ambasaâ??Manu section in Dhalai district.

According to police, the truck was trying to cross the railway track through an unauthorised crossing point frequently used by locals when one of its front wheels got stuck.

As the train approached, the pilot repeatedly sounded the horn, alerting people nearby. Despite desperate attempts by the driver and bystanders to push the truck clear, they could not move it in time.

Moments later, the train hit the vehicle and dragged it a short distance before coming to a stop. The impact threw the truck off the track, but no one was injured, and the train suffered no major damage.

/IANS