Our Correspondent
KONDAGAON,
A teacher and bus driver died while 30 students were injured when the bus they were traveling collided with a truck on the Chikhalputi Highway in front of the new bus stand in Kondagaon around 1 am on Monday. Out of 30, four students are critically injured. The deceased have been identified as teacher Rajkumar Arya and bus driver Dilip Rajput. The injured students including Bhumika Sahu, Chandramukhi, Girja Bai, Sandhya Mahima, Vaishali Girja and Vikesh Katendra are under-treatment in district hospital. The critically injured student 13-year-old Kalpana Sahu has been referred to Raipur for better medical care.
As per information, the school students from the Mohla Manpur Chowki district had visited Bastar for a tour, including stops in Chitrakoot, Dantewada and Barsur. They were returning to Mohla-Manpur when the accident occurred near Kondagaon late at night.
On Monday, Collector Kunal Dudawat visited the district hospital and met under-treatment school children. He inquired about their condition from the doctors and instructed the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) to ensure the best possible treatment for the children.
Considering the condition of four children, the Collector directed that they be urgently referred to Raipur with a team of doctors. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the tragic road accident involving a school bus and a truck in Kondagaon. He described the demise of a teacher and the bus driver as ‘extremely saddening.’
In his twitter handle, he wrote, “The news of the death of a driver and a teacher in a road accident involving a school bus and a truck in Kondagaon is extremely saddening. As per information received some schoolchildren in the bus were injured, and their treatment is under way. The district administration has been directed to ensure proper medical arrangements. I pray to God for the peace of the departed souls, strength for the bereaved families, and the swift recovery of the injured children.”