KANKER: Seven died and four were severely injured after an autorickshaw carrying school children collided with a truck in CGs Kanker district. A team of officials immediately rushed to the spot. All children are aged between 5 to 8 years and the injured child, whose condition is serious, has been shifted to a government hospital in Kanker, officials said. Two out of the seven succumbed to the injuries, it added.
The accident took place near Chilhati square in Bhanupratapur Korar village on Thursday afternoon while the students were on the way home. The driver of the auto-rickshaw, in which the school children were returning home, was also injured. The eyewitness claimed that the auto-rickshaw driver took the wrong side, however, to confirm, the police are extracting the CCTV footage.
Interacting with the media, SP Sinha said a case will be filed based on the evidence that is retrieved from the CCTV footage. The fitness, permit, and speed of the vehicle will also be verified, he added.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed his grief and directed the health department to provide all possible help to the injured. “The news of the death of 5 school children in a collision between an auto-rickshaw and a truck at Korar Chilhati Chowk in Kanker district is heartbreaking. Four children were seriously injured in the incident and all possible help is being extended by the health department to them. May God give courage to the families of the dead. Instructions have been given to the administration to provide all possible help, the tweet read”.