Close shave for 38 students as school bus falls into pit in Bihar

Patna, Oct 1 (IANS) A school bus carrying 38 students fell into a pit filled with water in Bihar's Begusarai district on Friday morning. The police said that all the students were rescued.The accident took place at the Pokharia village around 8 a.m. The district administration used a crane to pull out the bus from the pit.The bus belongs to the Gurukul Public School, Ballia, located near National Highway 31. Eyewitnesses said that the speed of the bus was high. When it reached the Pokharia village, the vehicle overturned after the driver lost control.Due to the heavy rainfall caused by the cyclonic storm 'Gulab', the pit was overflowing with water. The villagers said the bus was completely submerged in the water and could have turned into a major disaster if the local residents hadn't rushed in. "We managed to rescue every pupil from the bus before it got completely submerged into the water. The children are in the age group of four to 15 and have been given preliminary treatment. Local villagers played a very important role in the rescue operation," said S.D. Singh, sub-inspector of the Ballia police station."We have registered an FIR under rash and negligent driving against the errant driver of the school bus. He will be arrested soon."
--IANS ajk/dpb

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