CHENNAI: Around 15 children had a miraculous escape, when the school van in which they were travelling plunged into a pit that was dug to lay storm water drainage at Mogappair on Monday afternoon.
The van carrying around 15 students from a private school in the city was dropping off the children at their houses on Monday. “Around 1.30 pm, the van reached Sentamizh Street, a narrow stretch at Mogappair. As the driver was trying to reverse the vehicle, the dug up mud slid and he lost control of the vehicle.
It plunged into the three-feet deep pit. However, the children were lucky, as just a few metres away steel rods had been erected as part of the drain laying process”, a police official said.
“Since it was a residential area, the locals who heard the screams of children immediately rushed to the spot and rescued them and took them to a private hospital nearby,” the official said.
A few children suffered minor injuries. A police officer said the van driver identified as Jacob (31) has been arrested. A case has been registered under section IPC 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and the driver was remanded in judicial custody.