Horror crash kills 21 people as bus sliced in two after stalling on busy train crossing
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A crowded bus was sliced in two by a speeding train after stalling on a level crossing, killing at least 21 people, including three children.
The horrifying smash saw part of the vehicle dragged 200ft along the track, and harrowing video of the aftermath shows bodies and belongings surrounding the wreckage.
It has emerged that the bus driver pleaded with men on board to help push it after it became stuck, but did not order passengers to evacuate.
The tragedy happened in the Vladimir region of Russia as the bus travelled from Kazakhstan to Moscow.
People onboard were woken by the terrified driver at around 3.30am, and dozens of people attempted to move it.
(Image: Barcroft Media)
(Image: TASS)
Then a railway crossing attendant at Pokrov station shouted: "A train, a train....."
He sounded an emergency alarm and the express train from St Petersburg to Nizhny Novgorod slowed but not enough to avoid appalling carnage.
The regional governor's press secretary told RIA that the bus was going around a traffic jam when it arrived at the railroad crossing and stalled.
"People inside the bus were sleeping, there were around 50 of them. The driver shouted and 34 people ran out of the bus to push it. They survived.
"Those who remained in the bus died. It got literally torn apart," said Rita Shlyakhtina.
Alexander Kiryukhin, head of Health Department of Vladimir region, told TASS news agency: "The latest report is that 19 people were killed in the crash, 34 people survived.
(Image: AFP)
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
"The survivors are currently in a temporary shelter, they are getting food and psychological help.
"A separate team is working on identifying bodies. Four of the injured passengers - two men, one five years old boy, one one or two years old girls - were taken to local Petushinskaya district hospital.
"They are in grave condition."
Later Interfax cited officials putting the death toll at 21.
A Russian Railways spokesman said: "A passenger bus was crossing railway lines next to Pokrov train station.
"The bus stalled as it drove onto the rail lines. The railway crossing attendant immediately signaled an obstruction on the track.
"The number 60 passenger train driver that was en route from St Petersburg to Nizhny Novgorod used emergency brakes and signaled emergency situation with lights and sirens.
"The emergency brakes allowed the train to slow down to a minimal speed, but the distance was too short to allow a complete stop."
The bus was believed to be carrying Uzbek workers and their families. There were two drivers, both Kazakh citizens.