A ninth-standard girl student and a school van driver were killed, while three other students were seriously injured, when a speeding school van carrying children collided head-on with a school bus on the busy Mankapur flyover on Friday morning. The deceased have been identified as Sanvi Khobragade, a Std IX student of Bhavan’s Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir, Koradi Road Branch and Hrithik Kanojia (24), the van driver.

 

According to Mankapur Police, the van was carrying students of Bhavan’s Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir around 8.30 am when it collided with a Narayana Vidyalayam school bus coming from the opposite direction.

 

The bus was empty at the time, except for its driver and two female attendants, who escaped unhurt. Police officials stated that the van driver was attempting to overtake another vehicle when it suddenly swerved into the path of the oncoming school bus which resulted in a head-on collision. The bus driver reportedly told police that the van appeared abruptly in his lane which left him no time to react.

 

The crash was so severe that the van was completely mangled and trapped the children inside. Passersby rushed to the scene, broke open the jammed doors and helped pull out the injured students. While three children escaped without injuries, four were immediately taken to nearby hospitals. Sanvi was admitted to the ICU of a private hospital but succumbed to her injuries in the evening.

 

The three other injured students continue to receive treatment at the same facility. The flyover, which is already under repair, saw traffic halted for nearly an hour following the accident which led to a major congestion during peak morning hours. It may be noted that vehicles have been forced to use only one side of the flyover for the past several months due to ongoing repair work on the damaged stretch between Mankapur Stadium and Faras. Parents of the injured children rushed to the hospital upon receiving the information. Meanwhile, Congress workers led by Ketan Thakre staged a protest at the accident site and demanded action against the road contractor. They alleged that the prolonged delay in the repair work had made the flyover unsafe and was a contributing factor in the accident.