School bus, truck collide in Jalandhar; 12 children dead

At least 12 children died when the school bus in which they were travelling collided with truck near Jalandhar in Punjab.

Zeenews Bureau

Jalandhar: At least 12 children died when the school bus in which they were travelling collided with truck near Nakodar town in Punjab on Monday morning. Five children are said to be injured in the terrible tragedy, which has also claimed the life of school bus driver. Some of the injured have been admitted to Nakodar civil hospital. Two of them could be shifted to a hospital in Ludhiana. The mini-bus carrying children from Akal Academy School in Boparai Kalan collided with the truck near Jaheera village in Lambhra, close to Nakodar, 170 km from here. According to reports, the truck laden with bricks, which was being driven on the wrong side of the road, lost control and collided head-on with the mini-bus. An FIR has been registered against the truck driver, who has been absconding since the accident took place at around 8 am on a highway near Jalandhar when the bus was on its way to school. Most of the children were under 10 and had boarded the bus just minutes before the accident took place. Around 30 children were stated to be travelling in the bus when the truck collided with it. The area where the mishap occurred is said to be prone to accidents. (With Agency inputs)