18 die as school van plunges into river

Bus carrying over 35 children falls into River Jhelum, 7 rescued and 18 bodies recovered.

MUZAFFARABAD:

18 bodies were recovered after a school van carrying more than 35 children fell into the River Jhelum in the Garhi Dupatta area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir early Tuesday morning. Most of the children came from the Hattian district.

According to the school administration, the coach was carrying 40 children between the ages of 8 and 13. The bodies of 18 children have been recovered while seven people, including the driver of the van and four children, have been rescued. The bus was taking the children to school when it plunged into the river. Police and rescue workers reached the site of the accident soon and started rescue operations.

There were seven orphans among the dead whose parents were killed in 2005 earthquake and were adopted by a relative. “I can’t tell you what has happened,” Mohammad Khurshid, a local shopkeeper, who had adopted the children, said with tears in his eyes.

The Muzaffarabad DCO has told Express 24/7 that no survivors are expected other than the 7 people who were rescued.  “Unfortunately there is hardly any chance of survival of the remaining children,” Imtiaz told AFP. Reportedly, driver of the van Muhammad Shafique jumped out of the vehicle before it skidded off into the river.  Police detained the driver for questioning and gathered that coach usually held 33 children but today the number of kids was 40 as they were going to attend an Eid Milan party in their school.

Initial reports indicated that the van veered off the road after the driver lost control of the vehicle. However, DCO Muzaffarabad, Chaudhry Imtiaz said the driver claimed that the accident took place because the steering wheel of the vehicle locked. An eyewitness also reported that the accident took place due to over speeding. The injured children have been shifted to nearby hospitals while efforts have been launched to recover the missing kids.

Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. The river is flowing at its peak currently due to recent heavy rains and flooding, preventing a successful rescue operation.

SP Ghulam Kabir said that they are trying their best to rescue the children but the odds seem unlikely. Meanwhile President and Prime Minister AJK and Interior Minister Rehman Malik have expressed their sympathies with the families of the deceased.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2010.