Rajasthan: 11 school children injured in Kota road accident

Jaipur, Aug 15 (IANS) Eleven school children were injured on Friday in a head-on collision between a school van and a car on Khanpur Road in the Sangod police station area of Kota district in Rajasthan.

The accident took place around noon on the Sangod-Jolpa Road, when the van, carrying students home after an Independence Day programme, collided with a Swift car and overturned.

According to Sangod SHO Lakhan Singh, all the children, aged between 7 and 15 years, were returning to their village, Chatarpura, after attending the celebration at Evergreen School.

“There was a head-on collision between the van and the car on Jolpa Road. The van overturned after the impact. On receiving information, the police team reached the spot and began rescue operations,” he said.

The injured students were first taken to the Sangod Community Health Centre (CHC) for preliminary treatment.

Five of them, along with the van driver, were later referred to Kota for further medical attention due to serious injuries. Among them, student Hrithik Mehra and driver Rohit suffered head injuries and are currently undergoing treatment at Kota’s New Medical College Hospital.

Police said the driver of the Swift car has been caught, and the vehicle has been seized. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway.

Joint Director of the Education Department, Roop Singh Meena, said that as soon as information about the accident was received, a departmental team rushed to the scene.

“We have deployed a team at the hospital to ensure there is no lapse in the care of the injured children. We are also in constant touch with the hospital administration to arrange better treatment wherever required. Hrithik and the driver have undergone X-rays, and three to four more injured children are being brought to Kota for specialised care,” he added.

Police confirmed that apart from the five students referred to Kota, other injured children suffered only minor injuries and are recovering.

Authorities are looking into the cause of the accident and have assured strict action against those found responsible.

--IANS

arc/dan