China: 11 dead after bus crashes into students, parents at school gate

At least 11 students and parents were killed in eastern China on Tuesday (Sep 3) as a speeding bus ploughed into them. Chinese state-controlled media reported that the students were waiting at the gate of a middle school in Tai'an city in Shandong province at 7 am.

The bus involved in the fatal accident was meant for transporting students.State broadcaster CCTV said the driver lost control of the bus as it approached the school gate.

“As of now, (the incident) has caused the deaths of 11 people, of whom six were parents and five were students,” the broadcaster reported.

It appears 13 people were injured in the accident, as the broadcaster said 12 injured people were stable but one was in critical condition.

Several photos and videos of the incident have emerged on Chinese social media, showing dead bodies piled up on roadside and clothes soaked in blood.

“They’re all dead, it’s so heartbreaking,” a woman was heard saying in one of the viral videos. “I’d have been killed too if I’d stood there, but luckily I ran away fast,” she said.

The cause of the accident is not known yet. The driver was taken into custody by local police and an investigation had been launched.

Owing to lax safety standards and regulations, such traffic mishaps are common in China.

Earlier in July,a vehicle crashed into pedestrians in the central city of Changsha, killing eight people and injuring five, according to a police statement.

In 2017, a school bus crashed into a tunnel inthe eastern Chinese city of Weihai, Shandong province, killing at least 11 students. The driver also lost his life in the fatal accident.

(With inputs from agencies)