TURA: An annual school picnic that was supposed to be the closing celebration of the year’s academic session turned into a nightmare for a group of students from Dadengre region of West Garo Hills district after the bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge on Friday evening killing one person and leaving scores injured, many critical.
According to police, the incident took place just before reaching Dadenggre civil Sub-division area jurisdiction on Friday evening in which a public bus hired to take children from Rom Agal Upper Primary School was returning from a picnic at Chibragre, near Rongram.
The driver of the bus reportedly lost control and the vehicle plunged down a cliff of roadside rubber plantation. There were as many as 60 passengers, including 54 children inside the bus, when the accident took place.
The handyman of the bus was reportedly killed on the spot and two critically injured students have been rushed to Tura for medical treatment. Several dozen students are currently being administered medical aid at Dadenggre community health centre while another 4-5 students have been sent in ambulances to Tura for further medical assessment.
West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh and Superintendent of Police MGR Kumar along with fire and emergency personnel and the SDO Civil and SDPO rushed to the scene of the incident as the first information came in.
“All efforts are being taken to get the earliest and best medical attention for the injured,” informed Ram Singh while district police chief MGR Kumar said that all the injured have been taken for medical treatment while a case has been registered and investigation initiated over the cause of the mishap.
In the run up to the Christmas holidays, dozens of schools and hundreds of students take part in annual picnics along the riverside