CHENNAI: A 12-year-old boy died and 12 others sustained injuries after an autorickshaw turned turtle near Uthiramerur in Kancheepuram on Friday evening. Police said the vehicle was carrying 13 students from school when the accident occurred. The auto driver, Balaji (23) was arrested later in the day.
The deceased, Rohit of Vadathavur village, was studying Class 7 in a private matriculation school in Malliankarana. “The speeding autorickshaw toppled near the Kadal Mangalam Erikarai area and Rohit sustained severe head injuries. He died on the spot. Locals ferried the 12 injured students to the Uthiramerur government hospital in an ambulance. Seven of them, who suffered moderate to severe injuries were later referred to Chengalpattu government hospital,” police said.
Sources said it was common for the residents in Vadathavur village to hire autos to send their children to schools due to lack of bus connectivity. The private school where Rohit studied, was a popular private school in the area catering to students of more than two dozen villages, and the residents have been demanding adequate bus services for long.