A major accident involving a private school bus in Telangana's Khammam district has left dozens of students injured, raising serious questions about vehicle safety and driver accountability. The incident occurred on Friday when the bus, carrying around 60 children, overturned and fell into a dry canal.
Chaos on the Road: Sequence of Events
The bus, belonging to Vivekananda Vidyalayam in Maddulagudem of Vemsuru mandal, met with the tragic accident near Ganeshpadu village. According to students present at the site, the driver was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. He reportedly lost control of the vehicle, causing it to turn turtle and plunge into a dry canal. Shockingly, the driver fled the scene immediately after the crash, abandoning the injured children.
Local residents became the first responders, rushing to the spot to pull the trapped students out of the wreckage. Their swift action likely prevented more severe consequences. As many as 40 students sustained injuries in the harrowing ordeal. All the injured were subsequently shifted to a private hospital in Thirupur village, which falls in the neighbouring NTR district of Andhra Pradesh, for urgent medical treatment.
A Preventable Tragedy: Known Glitches Ignored
Investigations into the crash reveal that the accident might have been averted. The bus was reportedly ridden with technical glitches even before it started its journey. School authorities had apparently asked the driver to get the faults fixed. However, the driver chose to ignore these instructions and proceeded to transport the students.
The decision proved fatal. The bus encountered mechanical snags while on the road, which ultimately caused it to suddenly veer off the path and fall into the canal. This negligence transformed a routine school trip into a nightmare for dozens of families.
Official Response and Calls for Accountability
The incident prompted immediate action from the state's transport minister, Ponnam Prabhakar. The minister instructed Khammam district collector D Anudeep to take stringent action against the school management for failing to ensure student safety. He emphasized that all affected students must receive proper medical care.
Minister Prabhakar also underscored the need for systemic checks, directing the transport department to conduct regular and rigorous inspections of all school buses across the state. This directive aims to prevent such incidents stemming from poor vehicle maintenance and irresponsible driving in the future.
The Khammam school bus accident serves as a grim reminder of the critical importance of road safety, especially for school children. It highlights the dire consequences of neglecting vehicle maintenance and the devastating impact of driving under influence.
