5 school students killed in Samana crash
Patiala superintendent of police Palwinder Singh Cheema, who rushed to the accident spot, said 13 children of the local Bhupindra International School were returning from school when the accident occurred.
Five school children and a driver were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in collided with a tipper at Samana in Patiala district on Wednesday, police said.
The incident occurred on the Samana-Patiala road when the vehicle (Toyota Innova) was ferrying the students back from school.
Patiala superintendent of police Palwinder Singh Cheema, who rushed to the accident spot, said 13 children of the local Bhupindra International School were returning from school when the accident occurred. Three of the injured students are hospitalised in a critical condition. The impact of the accident was such that a JCB machine had to be requisitioned to retrieve the bodies. The driver of the truck is absconding, he said, adding he would be arrested soon.
The deceased students have been identified as Parv Sachdeva (12), Dhivanshi (11), Aradhya (10), Vargyan (8), and Sehaj Bansal (12). Expressing grief over the accident, chief minister Bhagwant Mann posted on X: “My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I also wish a speedy recovery to those injured.”
Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh, who reached Government Rajindra Hospital to see the injured students, said, “It is a very unfortunate incident. I have been told that the truck was speeding and hit the Innova while it was overtaking another vehicle.” As per the district administration, the Innova was a privately owned vehicle, hired by the parents to ferry the students. The seven-seater SUV had 14 occupants, including the driver.
This incident has, once again points at poor implementation of the Safe School Vahan Policy that mandates safe transportation of schoolchildren.
Under the scheme, the school authorities are responsible for the safe transportation of students. However, many schools have been turning the blind eye towards the guidelines issued by the district authorities, said officials. Patiala deputy commissioner said a review meeting is held every 15 days to ensure proper implementation of the policy and violators are challaned. “An emergency meeting has been called after the incident,” said the DC.