MULTAN: At least three schoolchildren and a driver were killed and nine children critically injured when a speeding oil tanker crushed a school van in Multan on Monday, confirmed rescue sources.                     

The unfortunate accident took place at Makhdoom Rasheed Road when the oil tanker crushed the school van due to alleged over-speeding. According to reports, the injured and deceased were immediately shifted to Nishtar Hospital.

A total of 11 children were on their way home in the school van.

According to rescue sources, the van had to be cut to extricate the children

Local authorities have informed that the oil tanker driver immediately fled the scene after the accident and that details of the oil tanker have been sent to the excise department to ascertain the owner’s identity.

One of the deceased children was identified as Waqas.

In Feb 2017, six schoolchildren and a van driver were killed when the van and a truck collided in Fatehpur area of Layyah. Nine other children were injured in the accident. The van was carrying at least 15 children en route to a private school.

 In Lodhran a motorcycle-rickshaw collided with a train killing eight including six schoolchildren and the driver. According to reports, 15 children were on their way to school when the crash took place.  

Railways Minister, Khawaja Saad Rafique ordered an investigation into the crash. Speaking to journalists, Rafique said there were questions related to the crash which would only be answered when the investigation is complete. He added that human error and the presence of dense fog could not be ruled out as the reason for the crash. 

School vans unregistered

Meanwhile, over 18,000 school vans remain unregistered in Karachi in gross negligence of the traffic police’s directives.

Orders issued month backs by the traffic police department require school vans to be painted yellow with the school’s name visible on the vehicle.

The instructions included a strict prohibition of installing or overloading gas cylinders.

The police had directed schools to employee a helper for each van, to facilitate students in getting on and off the van.

Local schools have failed to follow the code of conduct issued for school vans months after it was issued.

Numerous schoolchildren continue to face safety hazards in their daily commute to and fro their respective educational institutions.