Lucky escape for 33 students

Bus from a Peddar road school hits a gas tanker when latter's driver braked abruptly in Mhad district; students, staff safe

It was a close shave for 33 students of New Activity School, Peddar Road, returning from a study tour to Chiplun, when their bus met with an accident at 12.40 pm yesterday in Mhad district of the Konkan region.

The kids had gone for an industrial visit in the Chiplun district on April 23 and were on their way back to Mumbai. Most of them were from standards IX and X. Though the students panicked at first, they escaped without injuries.


All's well: The school bus of New Activity School, Peddar Road, met with
an accident at Mhad district yesterday. The students were returning from
a study tour at Chiplun district. Pics/Atul Kamble

An onlooker who witnessed the accident said, "A gas tanker ahead of the bus suddenly braked, and seeing this, the bus driver did the same. But the bus spun out of control and went hurtling to the tanker. On impact, the front glasses got smashed before the bus went off road." The school staff in the bus saw to it that everyone was safe, and checked every student for injuries. A schoolteacher who identified himself as Sir Ilaviya said, "We have other buses which will take the students home safely."

The police reached the spot, but by then, the tanker driver had already fled. "The bus driver didn't take the tanker's number down and it would be very difficult to trace the driver," said a police officer on the spot.
Meanwhile, the students took out their cameras and started clicking pictures of the shattered glass and other telltale signs of the accident. "I am going to show these pictures to my friends," said a student.

Pareen Bagli, principal, said, "Over 120 of our students from Std IX and X went for a study tour to visit factories in Chiplun on Saturday. They informed me today that our bus carrying 33 of them met with an accident on their way home. Luckily, no one was injured. I will get the details when they come back. According to the information given to me, the school bus was not at fault."u00a0

Inputs by Kranti Vibhute