By IANS
Ahmedabad : A 13-year-old boy was killed and 35 other students of the Delhi Public School (DPS) here were injured Wednesday when their bus overturned while trying to overtake a truck. Four of the children are in serious condition.
The accident took place at about 7 a.m. near Shilaj village, 10 km from here, when the speeding school bus was carrying 45 children from Bopal, on the outskirts of the city, to the school, the police said.
The boy died on the spot and it is feared the toll could rise.
“The deceased has been identified as Apul Rathod,” said DPS public relations officer Unmesh Dixit.
Dixit told IANS that the school will remain closed Thursday. He added that four children were in SAL hospital with serious injuries while others have been sent home after first aid.
However, SAL hospital sources said of the 14 injured students brought to the hospital, one was treated and discharged while 13 were still in hospital. Of them, four were seriously injured.
Dinesh Patel, resident medical officer of Sola Civil hospital here, told IANS that 16 of the injured had been brought to there but they had been discharged after treatment.
“One body was brought here around 8.30 am today which was sent for post mortem,” he said.
Angry exchanges were witnessed between angry parents and SAL hospital staff. Many accused the staff of being non-cooperative and stopping them from entering the hospital. However, the police brought the situation under control.
Some parents who had rushed to the scene of the accident broke the windows of the bus. They blamed the school for not having warned its drivers against over speeding.
The police said the bus driver was absconding.