Burhanpur (MP): Twenty students were injured on Wednesday morning when their speeding school bus overturned near a riverbank in Nepanagar town of Madhya Pradesh, the police said.

About The Accident

The accident took place around 7.30 am near the Dharni river as the bus, apparently being driven at a very high speed, veered off the road and overturned, Nepanagar sub-divisional officer of police Nirbhay Singh Alwa told media from the spot.

Four of the students sustained hand or leg fractures and injuries to the head, he said, adding that the injured students were admitted to nearby government and private hospitals.

Some of the students told officials that they had asked the driver to slow down but he did not pay heed, Alwa said.

The incident took place 45 km from Burhanpur and more than 300 km from state capital Bhopal.

The bus was on its way to the Senior Secondary School at Nepanagar, a town famous for paper mills.

A case of rash and negligent driving was registered against the driver who fled from the spot, and the police were searching for him, the official said.

Badlapur: A 59-year-old woman lost her life after being hit by a speeding car near the Panvelkar Bhoomi Complex in Kharwai, Badlapur, on Monday morning. The victim, Mathura Rama Irle, was a resident of Kharwai and had stepped out for her routine morning walk. She was walking along the left-side lane towards Badlapur station when the fatal accident occurred around 5:30 am near a petrol pump.

According to eyewitnesses and CCTV footage from the area, the driver of the vehicle lost control and crashed into Mathura with great force. The impact was so severe that she was thrown several feet and died on the spot. A CCTV footage shared on the internet by Marathi news portal shows the exact moments when the speeding car hit the elderly woman and the driver fled away, leaving her to die.

Accused Driver Arrested

Following the tragic incident, Mathura’s son, Navnath Irle, 32, filed a complaint against the driver. Based on this complaint, the Badlapur East police booked the driver, identified as 35-year-old Mayur Subhash ambavne, under culpable homicide not amounting to murder. ambavne, a resident of Badlapur East, was arrested soon after the accident.

A police spokesperson stated that an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident. Authorities are also checking whether ambavne was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. “We are awaiting test results to confirm if intoxication played a role. Further investigations are ongoing,” the official added.

Residents Raise Issue Of Accidents

Several locals have pointed out that despite past accidents, there has been little enforcement of traffic regulations to curb such incidents. Some have also demanded that authorities take stricter measures against drunk driving and introduce better speed control mechanisms.

Pundalik Narvekar, a resident, raised concerns of the rising number of accidents in the area in the wee hours. “Drivers attempt speeding on these roads as there is less traffic in wee hours. However, such acts turn tragic for pedestrians when they are caught in crashes like these,” said Narvekar.

Una, Feb 13: Ten children were injured after roof tiles from the lobby ceiling collapsed onto them during their morning prayer session in Una in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district.

The incident occurred at the primary school in Vashoj village, Una, on Thursday. Ten children sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious and were promptly transported to the Una Government Hospital via 108 emergency services for treatment.

Among the injured, students from Classes four and five suffered the most severe injuries, particularly to their heads. Four to five children were reported to be in critical condition and are currently receiving medical attention.

Preliminary reports suggest that the collapse may have been triggered by vibrations from loud music played at a nearby wedding ceremony.

More details were awaited as the probe was on.

However, this incident has raised concerns about the construction quality of the school building. Questions are being asked about the integrity of the structure and why such substandard materials may have been used. Authorities are expected to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the collapse and to assess the structural safety of the school building to prevent future incidents.

In recent years, Gujarat has witnessed several incidents involving structural collapses in educational institutions, raising concerns about building safety standards. In July 2024, a classroom wall at Shree Narayan Vidhyalay near Gurukul crossroads in Vadodara collapsed, injuring a Class 7 student. The incident occurred during a break, which prevented a major catastrophe as most students were outside the classroom at the time. The injured student received primary treatment and was reported to be stable.

In another incident in September 2024, at least 23 labourers were injured when iron beams of an under-construction structure fell upon them at Chandrabala Modi Academy in Kondh village near Valia town, Bharuch district. The injured were rushed to a hospital in Ankleshwar for treatment.