Rajasthan: 2 girls killed, 5 children injured in collision between school van, SUV

Kota, Nov 1 (PTI) Two girls were killed, while five other students were injured after a private school van collided with an SUV here on Saturday morning, an official said.

He said the reason behind the accident is yet to be ascertained; however, the bursting of one of the tyres of the school van prima facie led to the collision.

The two deceased girls were identified as Tanu Nagar (14), a student of Class 10 and Prijal Arya (9), a student of Class 4, the police said.

Meanwhile, five other students who suffered critical injuries in the accident -- Bhumik Gawalera (13), Ronit Nagar (11), Prachi Nagar (10), Khanan Nagar (8) and Himani (8) -- were referred to MBS hospital in the district after primary medical care at a local hospital.

Van driver Parvez Ahmed also suffered injuries and was admitted to the MBS hospital, while the three or four occupants of the SUV -- a Bolero vehicle -- sustained minor injuries, the senior police officer said.

The officer said at least 12 students were travelling in the school van, and the five remaining students who escaped unhurt were sent home after medical examination.

Local MLA Chetan Patel reached the hospital at Itawa and took stock of the injured while state education minister Madan Dilawar, Kota Collector Peyush Samaria, Additional District Magistrate Mukesh Choudhary, and OSD (officer on special duty) to Lok Sabha speaker and Kota MP Om Birla, Rajiv Dutta, visited the injured students at MBS hospital and directed staff to ensure proper medical care.

Expressing condolences to the two aggrieved families, education minister Dilawar said some of the girls and the van driver are under treatment and are said to be out of danger.

Kota Collector Peyush Samaria said the reason behind the accident is yet to be ascertained.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Itawa, Shivam Joshi said the incident occurred between 7.30 and 8 am on Saturday when the school van, carrying around 12 students from Gaita village to a private school in Itawa, lost balance and collided with an SUV coming from Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh) towards Bundi.

The impact was so severe that both vehicles overturned, he added.

The bodies of the two deceased were handed over to family members after postmortem examination, he added. PTI COR ARB HIG