24 School Kids Injured in Collision of Four Buses With Three Other Vehicles in Delhi

New Delhi: Twenty-four schoolchildren were injured in an accident following a collision of four buses with three other vehicles on central Delhi's Salimgarh flyover on Monday, police said. There were 216 students in the four buses that "accidentally" collided with an autorickshaw, a car, and a motorcycle. In all, 28 people, including three members of school staff and a civilian, were injured, they said. The buses were hired by Government Secondary School - Bhalaswa Village, Government Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya - Khajoori, and Government Boys' Secondary School - C-Block Dilshad Garden. They were on an educational tour to the zoo and Akshardham Temple, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shweta Chauhan said.

Police received information regarding the accident around 11 am. When they reached the spot, they found a pile on of four buses, an autorickshaw, a car, and a motorcycle, Chauhan said.

Another police officer privy to the facts related to the incident said one of the bus drivers could not apply brakes in time and lost control, leading to the collision.

Five boys from Government Secondary School - Bhalaswa Village, 10 girls from Government Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya - Khajoori, and nine boys from Government Boys' Secondary School - C-Block Dilshad Garden were injured in the accident.

Three staff members, including a woman teacher from Dilshad Garden school and a biker, were also injured, Chauhan said.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot in the evening ordered an inquiry into the incident and expressed his grief.

"Saddened to hear the news of the accident today at Salimgarh flyover, IP Estate involving school buses. The injured were immediately shifted to LNJP Hospital.

"I have ordered the Transport department to conduct an enquiry and submit report at the earliest," he said.

In their preliminary investigation, police found the pile on to be the consequence of negligence on part of the driver of the last bus, which had been carrying 52 students of Dilshad Garden school.

A case has been registered under sections 297 (rash driving) and 337 (endangering life through negligence) of the IPC at IP Estate Police Station at the complaint of a Naveen Shahdra resident, police said.

"If any new facts come during the investigation, relevant section will also be added in the case," they said.

A video purportedly of the incident did rounds on social media showing students escaping from buses by jumping through the windows with the help of the people who had gathered there.

The accident led to a huge traffic jam in the area with the onlookers and students making videos of the pile on. The impact of the accident was such that vehicles involved were severely damaged, a senior police officer said.

One of the onlookers said, "It was a narrow escape for the students. The area had been witnessing heavy jams since the morning and the accident compounded the situation. We saw several PCR (Police Control Room) vans at the spot and the injured were taken to hospitals."

LNJP Medical Director Dr Suresh Kumar told PTI that all injured except one student had been discharged after primary treatment.

"One of the students, an 11-year-old boy, sustained bone injuries and is under observation. An X-ray has been done," he said.