Eight kids, auto driver sustain injuries in bus-auto collision in Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY: Eight girl students of a private school, aged between six and 10, were injured when a private bus, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, collided head on with their autorickshaw in Puducherry town on Tuesday morning.
The students and the auto driver sustained injuries to the head, neck, and limbs. The front portion of the auto was completely damaged in the impact, trapping the students and driver inside.An eyewitness said private buses routinely violate the one-way on Bussy Street to save fuel and time. Police have launched a hunt for the bus drive who fled the scene after the accident.

Transport commissioner A S Sivakumar criticised auto driver Vignesh, 27, for carrying more students than permitted. "Autos are meant for three passengers plus driver. In case of children, autos cannot carry more than five but there were eight children in the auto. We are also checking whether the private bus flouted the permit norms taking unapproved routes," Sivakumar said.
Passers-by rushed the injured children to the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute. The injured students were identified as L Deeksha, 6, M Nikhisha, 10, S Kiranya, 10, V Harshita Lakshmi, 8, S Avanthika, 10, S Poornika, 8, V Daksheetha, 10, and P Jisha Solomon, 10. Nikhisha and Avanthika sustained severe head injuries and underwent surgeries and were shifted to the intensive care unit.