At least 10 schoolchildren were critically injured and several others received minor injuries when a school bus in which they were travelling hit a tourist bus from behind near Bandal under the Tangi police station on NH-16, 25 km from here on Sunday evening.
“All the critically injured kids were immediately shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital,” informed Tangi PS IIC Smrutiranjan Kar, adding that both the vehicles were impounded and their drivers detained.
The police said that about 55 children aged between six and 14 years were on board the school bus along with four of their teachers when the accident took place. They are students of the Swami Vivekananda School of Mahanga, and they were returning home after writing examinations in Cuttack city.
Quoting eyewitnesses, the police said the school bus, while trying to overtake the tourist bus from the left side, hit the latter from behind. The students occupying front rows in the bus sustained major multiple injuries in their heads and chests. Hospital sources said the
conditions of two of the injured were critical while the others were out of danger.