At around 1:00 p.m. in the village of Chandi a local bus, carrying around 60 people came to a level crossing near Kasganj.
The driver drove through the manned crossing barriers, which were open to road traffic, in front of an oncoming express train.
The train driver, operating the Kanpur to Kasganj route, had no time to stop, and hit the bus at 113 kilometres per hour (70 mph), slicing the vehicle in two.
[1] The front half of the bus was thrown into a nearby canal, where it rapidly sank, drowning all those inside not killed in the initial crash.
[2][3] The statutory investigation report [1] cited the fact that the manned crossing barriers were open to road traffic and not interlocked to protecting rail signals; it also identified that the train was dispatched in violation of standing instructions.