Rajahmundry: Four students were killed
and 15 went missing when a school bus fell into a canal near
here in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, police
said.
The bus, carrying 45 Lower KG and Upper KG students of
Sai Teja Public School and its own staff overturned and fell
into the Godavari river canal near Ganti Pedapudi village.
Thirty children were rescued by locals, they said.
The sources, however, said the total number of students
in the bus could be over 50 and "we will have a clear picture
only after collecting the details of the children of the
school and students who had boarded the bus on the way".
Four bodies have been recovered so far and a search
operation has been launched for the missing students, police
said, adding some students were injured in the accident.
The children were returning home from the private school
when the mishap took place at a place about 65km from
Rajahmundry, the headquarters of East Godavari district.
Senior officials, including those from the police and
revenue departments, along with parents of the students,
reached the accident spot.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy directed District
Collector Neethu Kumari Prasad to provide adequate medical
facilities to the injured who were admitted to a nearby
hospital, officials said.
The driver of the ill-fated bus was untraced, police said
adding and a search was launched to locate him.
Authorities pressed into service divers to trace the
missing students in the canal, police said.
PTI
