At least seven children were killed while 17 others were injured when a school bus fell into a canal at Mahawa border out post near Attari border on Tuesday.
The incident occurred while the school bus, carrying around 37 students, was crossing a narrow bridge on its way to drop the children home after school, said the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar Rural, Harkamalpreet Singh.
He said: “The bus got stuck on the bridge and the driver tried to manoeuvre his way out following which the vehicle overturned in the canal.”
“Out of 37 students, seven were killed and 17 others received minor injuries,” said the SSP adding that the injured have been hospitalized.
The bus belongs to DAV Public School and the deceased students, who were in the age group of 10 and 15 years, belong to the nearby villages of Tibbi, Muhawa and Neshta, the police said.
“Bus driver Charanjit Singh, from Rajataal village, joined duty a day before and is absconding after the incident,” said the SSP adding that the driver and the owner of the bus have been booked.
Residents from the villages around the area assembled at the spot and helped in rescuing the injured.
Punjab Congress president and Amritsar MP Capt Amarinder Singh expressed profound grief over the death of seven school children in a bus accident.
“This is a grievous and irreparable loss for the families of the children…I stood by the families in this hour of grief,” he said while calling for strict monitoring of operation of the school buses.
He said that the school managements must be extra cautious and careful in hiring drivers for the buses to
ensure that no loss of precious lives takes place because of their negligence.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal expressed deep anguish and sorrow over the tragic incident near Attari in Amritsar district.
Sharing his heartfelt sympathies with the members of the bereaved families, the Chief Minister prayed to the Almighty to give them courage to bear this irreparable loss in the hour of crisis and grant peace to the departed souls. Badal also directed the district administration to provide free treatment to all the injured and extend all possible assistance to the bereaved families.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Revenue and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia also mourned the tragic incident.