Lower kindergarten student student dies in van accident

VILLUPURAM: A five-year-old lower kindergarten student from Palakollai died when her school van overturned near Ulundurpet in Villupuram on Monday morning. Twenty five students were injured in the incident. The police arrested the driver V Chandrasekaran.
Officials said Chandrasekaran was talking on his mobile phone while driving. He had picked up 40 children from villages in Villupuram and Cuddalore and was taking them to their school, Saradha Vidyalaya, in Ulundurpet.The van could only carry 18 people.
Near Nainakuppam, the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a median. In the impact, M Anjana was thrown out of the van and died on the spot.
The injured students were taken to Ulundurpet government hospital. Police also arrested A Chinathampi, owner of the vehicle, for not adhering to safety norms. "A student, who was seated near the driver, told us that the driver was speaking on his phone while driving. It is a clear case of reckless driving," said inspector P Rajendran.