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>13 children killed as train hits school bus in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district, says official</s>Uttar Pradesh: 13 students dead after school bus collides with train in Kushinagar

At least 13 students died after a school bus carrying them collided with a train in Kushinagar town in Uttar Pradesh. The incident was reported between 6:30 AM and 7:00 AM. Watch this video to know more.</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>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>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>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 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>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>MUMBAI (Reuters) - Thirteen children were killed on Thursday when a train hit their school van at an unmanned crossing in Uttar Pradesh, the second major accident in India involving school children in a little over two weeks.

Police were investigating the cause of the accident in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh but authorities said the van driver was responsible for safety at unmanned crossings.

“Railways is not responsible in case of unmanned level crossings,” said Ashwani Lohani, chairman of the Indian Railway Board.

Yogi Adityanath, the state’s chief minister, told reporters at the site that the accident was possibly a result of negligence on the part of the van driver, who he said was wearing headphones at the time.

Eight children and the driver were injured and taken to hospital, police said. There were 22 children in the vehicle.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said an inquiry had been ordered and his ministry would pay 200,000 rupees ($3,000) to the families of those killed.

Lohani said that in the long term, the solution was the replacement of all unmanned crossings in the huge railway network with bridges or tunnels for roads.

“We are working on it, but it will take time,” he said.

On April 9, at least 24 children and three adults were killed when a school bus plunged off a mountain road in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.
Thirteen children are killed after their school bus collides with a train in the Uttar Pradesh, India.