Bhubaneswar, July 21: Three members of a family, including a woman and a child, were killed in an accident when a speeding train hit the motorcycle they were riding at an unmanned level crossing between Tikiri and Titilagarh stations this morning.

The deceased were identified as Niranjan Sahu, 45, his wife Nilendri Sahu, 38, and their niece Puja Sahu, 20. All of them belonged to Gunchitara village in Balangir district.

Sources said the deceased were returning home from Titilagarh market when the accident took place. Their motorcycle was hit by Sambalpur-Rayagada Express around 10am. The victims died on the spot.

The local residents staged a protest at the spot by placing the bodies on the track and demanding compensation for the next of kin of the deceased and job for one of the surviving members of the family. Railway officials later persuaded the villagers to end the agitation and assured them to have the accident probed by a senior official.

The protesters alleged that the guard deployed at the unmanned level crossing was not at the spot when the incident occurred. Later, the Government Railway Police rushed to the spot and took the bodies for post-mortem.

Chief public relations officer of the East Coast Railway J.P. Mishra said a "gate mitra" was deployed at the unmanned level crossing, and he tried to stop the family members from crossing the railway track. But, they did not stop and the train rammed into the motorbike. Gate mitra is a person deployed by the railway to stop people from crossing the tracks when a train is approaching.

The people complained that it was difficult to notice approaching trains at the crossing, as it is located at a bend on the road. This was not the first accident at the place. "Earlier, several such accidents had taken place here, and we have been demanding an overbridge. But, the authorities have turned a deaf ear to our demands," alleged a villager.

Mishra said the Sammbalpur divisional railway manager would conduct an inquiry into it. "In next three years, there would be either underpasses or railway overbridges at these level crossings," he said.