BAHAWALPUR, JAN 07, (DNA) – Funeral prayers were held on Saturday for a 12-year-old child who died along with seven others when a motorcycle rickshaw collided with a train in Lodhran.

Railway Minister Saad Rafique visited the injured at the Bahawal Victoria Hospital. Speaking to the media after his visit, he promised a compensation of Rs1,500,000 for the victims. “I understand that human lives cannot be compensated. I assure the victims justice,” he said.

He added that the driver, assistant driver and gatekeeper had been taken into custody for interrogation.

Rafique said there were questions related to the crash which would only be answered when the investigation is complete. He added that human error and the presence of dense fog could not be ruled out as the reason for the crash.

Initial investigation into the incident suggested that the gate which separated the street and the railway track was open. The motorcycle rickshaw with 15 schoolchildren collided with a train coming its way killing seven schoolchildren and the driver.

The town is mourning the deaths of the children and business remained closed.

On Friday, funeral prayers for six victims of the horrific crash, all of whom belonged to the same family, were offered in Lodhran’s Basti Mimberwala. The victims included two siblings, Maryam and Fahad.

They were laid to rest amid sobs and tears.=DNA

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