Van ferrying six schoolchildren overturns on Mumbai flyover; students escape with minor injuries

Mumbai city news: According to the school bus safety norms framed by the transport authorities, small vans cannot be used as a transport for schoolchildren

A van ferrying six schoolchildren overturned on Mumbai’s Kandivli flyover on Tuesday morning. The students escaped with minor injuries.

The van that met with the accident. (HT)

According to the school bus safety norms framed by the transport authorities, small vans cannot be used as a transport for schoolchildren. It states children should only use buses that have signed a safety agreement with the school authorities.

The incident took place around 6.45am, when the van was carrying students of Children’s Academy School in Ashok Nagar, Kandivli.

According to a teacher from the school, who witnessed the accident, a speeding vehicle hit the van from the rear and it allegedly toppled over on to one side on the flyover.

Passers-by and staff members helped the students get out of the van and took them to a hospital in the vicinity. “Their CT scan reports are normal. They have been discharged from the hospital,” said Rohan Bhat, chairperson of the Children’s Academy Group.

A statement released by the Kandivli police said the van did not flip over. “Very minor accident, van did not flip over. It was a collision. Kids are safe,” read the statement.

The van did not have the necessary permits from the school to ferry its students and was hired by parents, said Bhat. “We have our own contract-run buses, which comply with all safety norms, but parents insist on using such services,” said Bhat.