Rahul Singh
Campbell Bay, April 6: A potential tragedy was narrowly averted on Tuesday afternoon after a passenger bus met with an accident in the Rajiv Nagar area, leaving five school children with minor injuries. All injured were promptly shifted to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Campbell Bay for immediate medical attention.
According to sources, the bus had departed from the STS Bus Stand at approximately 2:30 PM on its regular route to Govind Nagar, a service commonly used by school students and local residents. After dropping passengers at the Fishermen Colony in Rajiv Nagar, the bus was proceeding towards the Hanuman Temple area when the incident occurred.
Preliminary reports suggest that the brake tube or pipe of the vehicle suddenly burst while the bus was negotiating a steep downward slope. Demonstrating remarkable presence of mind, the driver managed to steer the vehicle towards a relatively level patch of land in the hilly terrain, thereby controlling its speed and preventing a potentially catastrophic accident.
Despite the impact, only five children sustained minor injuries, and all are reported to be safe.
In a notable display of community response, local auto drivers Mr. R. Kumar and Mr. Jultan Barla, along with a resident, Mr. Ravi, immediately assisted in transporting the injured to PHC Campbell Bay for urgent medical care.
However, concerns have been raised regarding the delay in ambulance services. Locals reported that an ambulance was called at 2:49 PM, but it failed to reach the accident site in time, despite the location being less than one kilometre from the medical facility.
Residents have urged the administration to recognize and reward the driver for his quick thinking and to take necessary measures to ensure timely availability of emergency medical services in the region.
Authorities are expected to look into the matter, including the mechanical failure of the vehicle and the response time of emergency services, to prevent such incidents in the future.
