Eds: Rpting after correcting toll figure in the copy

Had the driver of the ill-fated school bus, which met with a tragic accident while crossing the unmanned railway crossing in Telangana's Medak district today, not taken a short cut, lives of 14 children (rpt 14 children) could have been saved, police said.
The hired driver, who was behind the wheel instead of the regular driver, opted to cross the railway line through an unmanned railway level crossing though there are two manned railway crossings in Masayipet village, a senior officer said.
Sixteen persons (rpt 16 persons), including 14 children (rpt 14 children), and the bus driver and cleaner, were killed when Nanded-Secunderabad Passenger train collided with the bus on the railway track at around 9 AM.

The accident was so severe that the train dragged the bus, carrying 36 children, to a distance of around 50 metres before coming to a halt.
The deceased children were in the age group of 5-15 years and some of them were students of nursery class, the officer told PTI.
Medak district In-charge Collector A Sharat said that despite having manned railway-level crossings in the village, the driver took a short cut and opted to cross the railway line through an unmanned crossing.

"The driver took the unmanned gate to cross the railway track as the distance through a manned gate is a bit longer. This has proved fatal for the students. While 13 of them died on the spot, another three died on way to hospitals. Both driver and cleaner of the bus were also killed and 22 injured children are undergoing treatment," Sharat said.

He said many of the children are in a serious condition.
A senior official of South Central Railway (SCR) said the village has three level-crossings, out of which two are manned and one unmanned, within the distance of 1.5 km.
According to a GRP officer as the regular driver of the private school bus was on leave, the vehicle was driven by a hired driver.