On the 15th of September, a bus crash that occurred in southwest China, specifically in the Sichuan Province, has proved to have a devastating effect. The crash claimed 16 lives, some of which were preschool children.
The accident took place at approximately 2 p.m. and included the collision of a passenger bus with a heavy-duty truck filled with sand and cobblestones. The site of the accident was the Zhenwu Village in Dazhou City, as reported by local authorities. Consequent to the collision, the bus jumped into a riverbed, around 3 meters in depth, as gauged by the emergency response office. The bus, along with the 24 passengers seated in it, were buried by the sand originally loaded onto the heavy duty truck when the bus came in a destructive contact with the truck.
The number of injured people is reported to be 4, one out of which was a student. The basis for the accident has yet not been discovered and is under investigation. Furthermore, the students killed as a result of this crash belonged to the age group ranging from 12 to 16 years of age. The bus crash thus represented a catastrophic event, being the source of distress and suffering for many.
Two Bus Crashes in One Day
In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a similar crash took place on the same day. However, the casualties incurred in this crash are relatively less as compared to those incurred in the accident that occurred in the Sichuan Province.
In this accident, 4 people were killed while 8 were injured. The crash happened at around 1 p.m., and entailed the crash of a minibus into a gorge, approximately 50 meters deep. The gorge is situated in Yao Autonomous County of Du’an. The total number of passengers on this minibus was 16. Two of the injured died immediately at the accident site. Similarly, two out of the remaining 10 who received injuries died when they were transported to hospitals for treatment.
Investigations searching for the cause of this bus accident are underway. Furthermore, both of these destructive accidents prove the severity of the deteriorating conditions of China’s roads. It is high time that the government intervenes to improve the conditions of the roads and subsequently the transport system to prevent such horrific accidents from taking place in the future.