At least 18 children were injured when a school bus hit a wall and overturned at Umayanallur in Kollam district of Kerala on Wednesday, January 18. A private school bus carrying students of Mayyanad Higher Secondary School overturned after hitting a wall. The injured children were admitted to a private hospital in Kollam. Initial information suggests that none of the injuries are serious. The children were brought to the hospital by rescue officials with the help of locals.
In October last year, a school excursion ended in tragedy for students of the Baselios School in Mulanthuruthy, Ernakulam, when nine people, including five children, were killed after a tourist bus that they were travelling in, collided with a Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus in Vadakkencherry, Palakkad.
The bus was taking students on a tour from Ernakulam to Ooty. According to reports, the tourist bus was travelling over the speed limit, and was trying to overtake the KSRTC bus when the two collided.
Twelve passengers were critically injured and 28 others received minor injuries. The bus was carrying a total of 49 people, including 41 students, five teachers and two employees working in the bus. The school had arranged for students of classes 10 to 12 to visit Ooty on a leisure tour.
The nine deceased include five students of the Baselios School, their teacher, and three passengers of the KSRTC bus. According to parents of the students who were not seriously injured, the students were not really aware of how the accident took place as they were all asleep. The driver and conductor of the KSRTC bus said that the tourist bus, which was carrying the students, was speeding and crashed into the rear of the KSRTC bus while trying to overtake it.