Close shave for 24 kids after school van plunges into a farm

KOCHI: Twenty-four school children of KEMH School, Kottapuram, had a miraculous escape when a mini bus driven by an inexperienced person lost control and plunged into a farm at Purapillykkavu under the Alangad police station limits on Monday morning.
According to the police, the accident occurred around 8 am when the driver was trying to negotiate a sharp turn.The bus was on its way to school after picking up students from various points. All the students, aged below 12, suffered injuries in the accident. Of the five students who suffered major injuries, three were admitted to hospitals in Kochi, including the Government General Hospital, while others were taken to Paravoor taluk hospital. The seriously injured students have been identified as Sneha, Anakha and Muhammed Aflah, all studying in fifth standard.
A police team led by DySP R Salim and Aluva circle inspector S Jayakrishnan reached the spot after they were alerted and conducted the rescue operations with the help of local residents.
The police arrested the driver of the mini bus (KL-8 T 6255), identified as Sirajuddin, 26, of Mannagath Parambu veedu, Alangad.
The vehicle which met with the accident was hired by the school authorities after the regular school bus developed a mechanical fault. The situation could have been much worse if the paddy field had contained water. The police said the driver did not have the requisite 10-year experience to drive a school bus. They would also look into the possibility of holding school authorities responsible in connection with the accident. "The driver needs to have a minimum experience of 10 years. In this case, the driver is only 26 years old," police officials said.
Sreevalsan Krishnan, a committee member of the school management, said that they had hired the private vehicle after the regular school bus developed a mechanical snag. "We were not aware that the driver was inexperienced. No student has suffered any major injury. We have conducted a detailed medical check up on students," he added.