Tuesday, September 27, 2011: The death toll in the school van mishap at Channankara yesterday, has risen to four with another victim, who had been admitted at the SAT hospital here, succumbing to her injuries.
The dead has been identified as Krishnapriya, a first standard student of Saint Andrews Jyothinilayam school. Three students identified as Aromal S Nair, Kaniha Santhosh and Aswin had died yesterday.
Eight children were admitted to the SAT hospital here with injuries. Others were cared for at a local hospital at Kazhakootttam, about 12 km from the city centre.
The accident occurred around 4 p.m. when the children were returning from school on a bus belonging to the BPM UPS School. Local residents undertook the initial rescue operation immediately and saved about 10 children. Fire and Rescue Service personnel and the police joined them soon.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Revenue Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and Education Minister Abdu Rubb visited the accident site.
While most of the children were rescued by locals who gathered at the spot, two boys aged 10 and 14 died at a hospital.
The condition of most of the children, shifted to different hospitals, was stable, sources said.
The mishap occurred at Channankara, 25 km from Thiruvananthapuram, off a national highway, when the school bus was carrying the students back home through a narrow road along the banks of a branch canal of Parvathy Puthanar river.
The road had no sidewall. The exact cause of the accident was yet to be established but the driver denied he was over-speeding.
Eyewitnesses said a major tragedy was averted as locals, familiar with the canal, plunged into rescue work instantly and brought ashore most of the children within minutes.
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