Around 14 school children were injured after a pool car plying around 15 children toppled and fell into a reservoir in Polba Kamdevpur of Hoogly district on Friday morning. Around three students are said to be seriously injured and have been shifted to state-run SSKM hospital in Kolkata.
According to the driver Pavitra Das, the car plying students who belong to Techno India school was heading towards Khadina-crossing in the morning while dropping the children to school, when allegedly a tractor hit the car from behind. The driver says he lost control of the vehicle after which the car toppled and fell into a reservoir.
The children were rescued by local people and were immediately taken to Chichurah Imambara Sadar hospital and the seriously injured were later shifted to the SSKM hospital in Kolkata. Doctors have also found mud and toxic water in the body of two students who were seriously injured.
The other students and the driver were discharged after initial treatment.
Ashit Majumdar, a teacher of Techno India school, reached the spot after hearing about the incident. Police have seized the vehicle and are investigating the matter to ascertain what led to the accident.
BJP Hoogly MP Locket Chatterjee reached the Chichurah Imambara Sadar hospital and blamed the negligence on part of the West Bengal government. Meanwhile,Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee also reached the hospital.
The incident brings to light safety issues related to carpooling and whether the vehicle was plying more students than it should otherwise accommodate.
Police said initial investigation revealed the car was being driven at a break neck speed in order to reach school in time. The driver apparently lost control leading to the accident.
