Van plunges into canal; 4 schoolchildren, attender drowned

Report by; Ali Manjeshwar (9895731734)

Police, rescue services personnel and local people engage in rescue operations after a van carrying kindergarten children fell into the Parvathi-Puthanar in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

Four children and an ayah of a nursery school were drowned when a van carrying around 12 schoolchildren plunged into the Parvathy Puthanar canal near Karikkakom Devi Temple located on the side of the Kazhakuttom-Inchivila NH bypass on Thursday morning.

Locals and the police fished out nine children, driver Sumesh and the ayah Bindhu. Of them, four children succumbed to the injuries in a private hospital later. The other five children are in various hospitals.

Bindhu, a native of Vattiyoorkavu, was declared dead on arrival at the casualty wing of the medical college hospital. Sumesh is also in the hospital with minor injuries.

The students were of the Little Hearts School, Pettah, according to the police. The driver had stated to the police, although he used to take 12 children, there were only nine children in the van today. The accident took place around 9.30 a.m. The van that was reportedly in high speed plunged into the canal that runs parallel to the road.

Rescue and relief operations were initially taken up by the locals, who successfully managed to bring the van to the side of the canal. The police and the fire and rescue service personnel joined them to locate the other children.

As the canal is infested with water weeds, the rescue operations were hampered. Top police officials are supervising the rescue and relief work to find out whether there are more children in the canal.