Visuals from the accident site
Credit: DH Photo
Chitradurga: Over 60 children on board a school bus miraculously escaped a horrific road accident near Javangondanahalli in Hiriyur taluk on National Highway-48. Children from a school in T Dasarahalli, Bengaluru, were on a trip to Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district.
The school bus was right behind the private bus that met with an accident on the highway. As soon as the container hit the bus, the school bus driver managed to take the bus towards ditch and then moved towards the service road on the left to avoid the collision. The children escaped without any injuries, as the driver's presence of mind saved the children's lives. The school bus driver suffered minor injuries.
However, the windshield of the school bus was damaged as it fell into the ditch. "The school bus driver who immediately got down rescued some passengers in the private bus," said the police.
When asked on how the accident happened, the bus driver said they were part of school trip travelling from Bengaluru to Dandeli. "The incident happened around 2:00 am when a lorry from the opposite lane crossed the divider and crashed into the sleeper bus," he said.
"Due to the accident, there might have been leakage of diesel from either the bus or the truck, this may have caused the bus to catch fire," he added.