Haldwani, Aug 28: A school bus carrying around 40 children fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand's Haldwani on Thursday morning after the driver lost control of the speeding bus, leaving more than a dozen children injured.

The incident took place in Jaipur Bisa village on Bareilly Road under Lalkuan Kotwali, when the bus was heading towards a private school. According to eyewitnesses, the mishap occurred while the driver was attempting to give way to another school bus, causing the vehicle to skid and overturn into a ditch by the roadside.

As soon as the bus toppled, panic gripped the children, and cries for help filled the area.

Locals rushed to the spot, broke the windows of the bus, and pulled all the children out safely. Over a dozen children sustained injuries and were immediately rushed to a private hospital in Haldwani, where they are undergoing treatment.

The bus driver and conductor also suffered serious injuries in the crash.

As news spread that a bus belonging to a prominent school had overturned, anxious parents rushed to the school to enquire about the safety of their children.

Since the site of the incident was located close to the school, the injured children and staff were shifted to a nearby hospital with the help of private vehicles.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that the accident happened when two school buses were trying to pass each other near the Padampur Dewaliya intersection. One of the buses allegedly sped up, causing it to lose balance and overturn into the ditch.

Padampur Dewaliya village head Ramesh Chandra Joshi blamed the mishap on reckless driving.

"There were about 40 children in the bus, where more than a dozen children were injured. The bus drivers here drive their vehicles in a drunken state. Even after such a big accident, the district administration did not reach the spot, and it was the local people who rescued the children and sent them to the hospital," he said.

Joshi further alleged that such incidents have occurred earlier as well, yet neither the school authorities nor the district administration has taken corrective measures.

"Fortunately, the rainfall had stopped and the gorge had no water; otherwise innocent lives could have been lost," he added.

(IANS)

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