Three schoolboys, aged between six and eight years old, were run over by a speeding express train while trying to cross the railway tracks on the Farakka–Azimganj stretch in Samserganj, Murshidabad, on Sunday afternoon.

Police said the children, like many others in the area, were forced to cross the tracks illegally as the nearby underpass connecting two neighbouring villages, had been waterlogged for the past few days following continuous rain.

The deceased were Rihat Sheikh, 6, Jishan Sheikh, 7, and Riyan Sheikh, 8.

Another boy who was with them, Mobarak Sheikh, 8, survived with critical injuries.

Riyan hailed from Natun Shibnagar village under Samsherganj police station, while the other three were residents of Madhupur village under Suti police station.

As both the villages are separated by railway tracks, the children were all friends.

According to local sources, a new underpass was constructed at Natun Shibnagar on the Farakka–Azimganj railway section under the Malda division.

The construction led to the closure of the earlier level crossing that connected both sides of the tracks.

However, for the past three days, the underpass remained submerged under rainwater, cutting off access between Natun Shibnagar and Madhupur — the only connecting route between the two villages.

With no alternative path, residents were forced to cross the tracks illegally despite the risk of speeding trains.

On Sunday afternoon, while the four boys were attempting to cross the tracks, a goods train was speeding from Farakka towards Azimganj.

Eyewitnesses said that the children, on spotting the train, tried to run to the adjacent tracks for safety.

However, tragically for them, the Balurghat bound Howrah-Balurghat Express arrived on that very line at the same moment, running over them and killing Rihat, Jishan and Riyan on the spot.

Mobarak was rescued with serious injuries by bystanders and admitted to a private nursing home in Suti.

Alamgir Sheikh, the bereaved father of Jishan, said that he was shocked beyond words.

“The children were playing together and decided to visit a nearby village by crossing the railway tracks. When they saw the goods train coming, they tried to move to the other track for safety, but another train came at the same time. They had no chance to save themselves,” Jishan’s father said.

Farakka SDPO Sk. Samsuddin said that the level crossing was closed after the construction of the underpass. “Everything was fine earlier, and people faced no difficulty as they could use the underpass. But heavy rains filled the underpass with water, forcing locals to use the railway tracks illegally. The children followed what the elders had been doing. It is very tragic that three young lives have been lost and one boy has survived with serious injuries,” the SDPO said.