As many as six students of a private school in Kakkanad had a narrow escape when the van they were travelling in skidded off the road and perched precariously on the edge of a canal near Thrikkakara on Tuesday. No injuries were reported.
According to officials of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD), the accident took place around 8 a.m. near Changalamoola when the driver lost control over the vehicle, causing the vehicle to hurtle towards the Periyar Valley canal. The onlookers, who rushed to the spot, helped the children get off the vehicle through the rear door.
Preliminary investigations by MVD officials attributed the accident to negligence by the driver. Accordingly, the Ernakulam Road Transport Officer ordered suspension of his driving licence for a period of one year.
“The magnitude of the accident would have been much higher had the van fallen into the canal, through which a huge volume of water flows regularly. Cancellation of his driving licence was ordered to serve as a warning to other drivers as well,” said Reji P. Varghese, RTO, Ernakulam.
In the wake of the Maradu accident, which claimed a total of four lives, the Motor Vehicles Department has intensified the monitoring of vehicles transporting school students.
The department seeks to cancel the permits of vehicles should such accidents recur.