Tuesday, September 27, 2011: The police have registered a case into the tragic incident in which four kids lost their lives after a school van plunged into the Parvathy Puthanar canal here on Monday evening. According to police reports the cleaner of the vehicle identified as Shibin had driven the vehicle, and has been named as the first accused in the case. Meanwhile the driver identified as Jefferson and the school authorities have been named the 2nd and 3rd accused in the case.
The van was carrying about 25 children from the Saint Andrews Jyothinilayam school at Kazkookottam. Most of the children either swam to safety or were saved by local people.
The dead have been identified as Krishnapriya, Aromal S Nair, Kaniha Santhosh and Aswin. 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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