KOCHI: A 42-year-old woman died and as many as 17 children suffered injuries when a school bus hit a wall and overturned at Vengoor near Perumbavoor on Tuesday. The deceased is Elsy Kuriakose, of Arthunkal, who was working as a helper with the Santhome Public School, Vengoor. The accident took place around 7.45 am when the bus driver, while going uphill, lost control over the vehicle and hit a wall, before overturning, a police officer said. A teacher at the school, Smisha Nair, 43, who was walking along with Elsy, suffered serious injuries.
The bus, hired by Santhome School, unexpectedly stopped while it was going uphill and rolled back and toppled to a side after hitting a compound wall, the police said. Though Elsy was rushed to a hospital, she succumbed to her injuries later. Smisha, who suffered multiple limb injuries, has been admitted to a private hospital near Aluva. Another teacher, Jiss Saji, 45, who was travelling in the ill-fated bus, suffered minor head injury. All the students were rushed to a private hospital in Perumbavoor where they were given first aid and later discharged.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the bus driver had lost control of the vehicle after its engine turned off while shifting gears. Though the driver tried to stop the vehicle, it fell to the side,” the officer said. A case has been registered against bus driver Satheesh, a native of Kayamkulam, for rash and negligent driving and culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The school will hold a memorial service for the deceased person on the school premises at 9 am on Wednesday.