Four nursery kids, woman die as van slips into canal

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 17 (PTI) Four children and awoman attender of a kindergarten school were killed aftertheir van fell into a canal at Chakkai area in the city today.

Five other children and the driver of the van wereadmitted to a hospital, where the condition of a child wasstated to be serious, police said.

Three of the deceased were boys, they said, adding, thevan was on its way to the school in Pettah in the city.

The van lying half-submerged in the polluted canal wasfirst noticed by the crew of a bus that passed through thespot. They immediately informed the police, who with the helpof local people, began the rescue work.

Bodies of four children and the woman were soon taken outand rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were declareddead.

Preliminary assessment of the spot suggested that thevehicle got swerved to a side, after hitting a block of stoneand slipped into the canal, as there was no protective barrierbetween the road and the canal.

According to the locals, the van was carrying ninechildren besides the woman attender and the driver.

Education Minister M A Bay, who rushed to the spot, saidan inquiry will be ordered into the safety of school vehicles.