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5-year-old girl, teacher killed in collision between school van, pickup truck in Amroha
A tragic head-on collision between a school van and a pickup truck on the Hasanpur-Gajraula road in Amroha district claimed the lives of a 5-year-old girl and a 22-year-old teacher, leaving 13 others injured, including 12 schoolchildren and another teacher
A tragic head-on collision between a school van and a pickup truck on the Hasanpur-Gajraula road in Amroha district claimed the lives of a 5-year-old girl and a 22-year-old teacher, leaving 13 others injured, including 12 schoolchildren and another teacher. The accident occurred near the Manota bridge at approximately 7.20am.
The school van, belonging to the International Public school in Sahsauli, was carrying 16 passengers, including students and teachers, on its routine morning route from Hasanpur town. According to police reports, the van was overloaded and reportedly speeding when the driver, Vishesh Kumar, lost control, leading to a devastating collision with an oncoming pickup vehicle. The impact was so severe that the front portion of the van was completely crushed, making rescue efforts challenging.
Locals rushed to assist, breaking open the van’s mangled door to free the trapped children. The victims were immediately taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Amroha.
Tragically, 5-year-old Anaya, a Lower Kindergarten (LKG) student, was pronounced dead, while teacher Nisha Kumari succumbed to her injuries during treatment at the district hospital. Anaya’s mother, Ruby, a teacher at the same school, was among the injured, who was seated next to her daughter in the front row.
Anaya’s father advocate Satya Prakash from the Kayasthan locality in Hasanpur broke down at the accident site upon seeing his daughter’s body. Nisha, a 22-year-old teacher from Hasanpur, was also mourned by the community as a dedicated educator.
Of the 13 injured, four children were reported to be in critical condition. One critically injured student was transferred to a hospital in Meerut for advanced treatment, while the others, including the van driver Vishesh Kumar and teacher Ruby Singh, are receiving care at the district hospital in Amroha. Most of the injured students sustained head and facial injuries.
District magistrate Nidhi Gupta Vats and superintendent of police Amit Kumar Anand visited the district hospital to assess the condition of the injured and offer support. She emphasized that the administration has been alerted and will intensify its regular campaign to inspect school vehicles to prevent future tragedies. “A thorough investigation is underway, and we are ensuring the injured receive the best possible care,” she stated.
Circle officer Deep Kumar Pant and sub-divisional magistrate Pushkar Nath Chaudhary also visited the accident site near Agapur on the Gajraula road to oversee rescue operations and evaluate the situation. “Legal action is being taken, and we are committed to supporting the victims and their families,” said CO Pant.
School bus overturns; 12 kids Injured, 3 critical
In another incident, at least a dozen children got injured and three are said to be in critical condition after a school bus carrying them lost control and overturned while trying to avoid an oncoming bullock cart in Bijnor district on Friday.
The overloaded bus, carrying more than 60 children despite being authorized for just 32, collided with a high-tension electricity pole before flipping into a roadside ditch, police said.
The bus was en route to the Babuji Memorial School school when the driver swerved sharply to save a bullock cart coming from the opposite direction. In the process, the vehicle hit an 11,000-volt electric line pole before overturning. Fortunately, the line had no live current at the time, otherwise, the incident could have resulted in a much more severe tragedy.
The injured were quickly taken to Dhamapur government hospital and nearby private hospitals for treatment.
Locals expressed deep concern over the condition of school transport in the area. They alleged that the buses used by Babuji Memorial School are old and poorly maintained. Parents claim that buses are regularly overloaded and operated by untrained drivers. Complaints to the school management reportedly fall on deaf ears, and authorities from the regional transport department have shown no initiative to enforce safety standards.
Circle officer of Afzalgarh, Rajesh Solanki, confirmed that the bus was carrying over 25 students and that preliminary investigations revealed the vehicle’s fitness certificate had expired five years ago. “An FIR will be registered against the school operator and the bus driver, identified as Arvind Kumar,” Solanki said.
