Tragic school picnic accident in Nagpur leaves one student dead, many injured

NAGPUR/HINGNA: A school picnic in Nagpur turned into a tragedy on Tuesday morning as a private travel bus carrying the children overturned on a hilly road, about 45 km from the city.

This led to the death of a 15-year-old female student and left several others with serious injuries. The incident occurred around 9am when high school students from Nagpur city-based Saraswati Vidyalaya (Shankar Nagar) were en route to a picnic spot as part of a school-organised trip. The private travel bus carrying them overturned at a road bend in the ghat section near Devri Pendhari village.

The bus was carrying 52 students, of whom one is now dead. Two other students are undergoing surgery at AIIMS Nagpur, while others are receiving treatment.

Parents of the deceased girl, Nirvani Bagde, also reached the hospital and were inconsolable after learning about the tragedy. Many anxious parents have gathered at AIIMS Nagpur, and the hospital management has made special arrangements to pass on information.

For smooth functioning, only one parent is being allowed inside the wards. Those parents whose children are less injured are eager to take their children back. However, police will complete all formalities before letting anyone go.

Hospital authorities told TOI that 12 students had only superficial injuries, while many had fractures.

Lohit Matani, Nagpur Rural SP, and Ulhas Narad, Deputy Director of Education (Nagpur Division), have also reached AIIMS Nagpur.

Matani said, "After the bus toppled, our team reached the spot and helped to rescue the students. We have taken the children to different hospitals. One student has died, and we also have a help desk here at AIIMS so that parents can get the right information. We are also allowing parents to meet if there are no serious injuries. The bus driver is also injured and undergoing treatment. We will take legal action, and the process of registering an FIR is ongoing."

Narad said, "Our priority is the safety of the children, and once everyone is back home from the hospital, we can get into the further details of what happened."

Fatal bus accident on school trip exposes lapses in permits, fitness, and safety measures

The school picnic was headed to a spot in Wardha district (about an hour's drive from Nagpur). A private firm was organising the entire trip and had hired the buses as well.

The trip now stands cancelled for all students, and the remaining buses of the entourage are on their way back to the city, where parents will pick up their children.

Speaking to TOI, Nagpur Rural RTO Vijay Chavhan revealed several lapses in the condition and documentation of the bus, registered under Nagpur Rural RTO. The bus, with registration number MH40Y7338, was owned by Shree Harihar Travels and was ferrying students for a picnic to Bor Dam.

According to Chavhan, while the bus was equipped with a speed governor to ensure adherence to speed regulations, other critical requirements were missing. The fitness certificate for the bus was set to expire on December 6.

More concerningly, the vehicle lacked a valid permit, road tax clearance, and Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. At the time of the accident, only the fitness certificate and insurance were in place.

Chavhan stated, "The registration of the vehicle will be suspended, but further legal action depends on court proceedings. Without a permit, the case will likely be escalated to the judiciary."

The bus, with registration number MH40Y7338, was owned by one Vaibhav Wakde and was ferrying students for a picnic to Bor Dam. The hiking camp (picnic) was organised by HRS Hikers Picnic Company, owned by one Gopal Zariya, who arranged six buses for the school.

The ill-fated bus owned by Wakde was one of these. For the past four days, different class students were being taken to the camp in the same bus. On the fourth day, students of classes 9 and 10 were scheduled for the trip when the accident occurred.

Questions remain unanswered about whether the school or HRS Hikers Picnic Company verified the necessary documents before engaging the bus for the trip.


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