Teacher killed, 36 children injured as school bus overturns in Jaisalmer

Police also said that the fitness of the bus expired in March despite this, the school and transport department authorities continued to operate it

A teacher was killed and over 36 children injured after their school bus overturned in a village near Pokhran in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district on Wednesday morning, police said.

Police said that bus was carrying passengers beyond its capacity (HT Photo)

Police said they reached the incident spot with rescue teams soon after receiving information from locals, adding that the injured were initially rushed to the nearby hospital.

Later, 11 students and one teacher were referred to a higher centre in Jodhpur due to their critical condition, police said, adding that the teacher died during treatment.

School teacher Vikram Singh, 21, died during treatment at a hospital in Jodhpur while the children are undergoing treatment, assistant sub-inspector Khushal Chand, Sankra police station, said.

He said at least four students have got fractures while others have several received injuries.

Police said that an investigation into the matter has been launched, adding the preliminary inquiry suggests that the bus was carrying passengers beyond its capacity, which led to the incident. Due to this, the driver, who was also injured in the accident, lost control of the bus and overturned, police said.

Police also said that the fitness of the bus expired in March despite this, the school and transport department authorities continued to operate it.

Vikash Sangalwan, Jaisalmer superintendent of police also reached the spot to take stock of the situation. Besides police inquiry, civil authorities have also ordered a probe into the matter.

It is to mention here that in February 2022, a similar incident was reported in Jaisalmer. A school bus had overturned in the Phalsund area in which two students were killed, and another twenty were injured.