17 preschoolers killed in bus crash

[oberliner]

Source: USA Today

At least 17 kindergarten kids and two adults were killed Wednesday when a nine-seater school minibus crammed with 64 people crashed on its way to class in western China, officials and state media said.

The children were aged 5 and 6, an emergency official said. News of the crash ignited public anger across China, highlighting an underfunded education system that especially shortchanges students in remote areas.

The bus collided head-on with a truck loaded with coal in China's Gansu province, leaving the orange school vehicle crumpled and twisted. Authorities blamed overloading for the accident, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Five people died at the scene, four children and the bus driver, said the official, surnamed Fan, the director of the emergency office of Gansu provincial work safety bureau. He said the other 14 had died either in hospital or on their way to hospital. The other adult victim was a kindergarten teacher, he said.


Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-11-16/China-bus-crash/51228484/1

[dipsydoodle]

1. Tragic

:(

[hlthe2b]

2. Oh, My... I can scarcely think of a more horrendous image.

How sad...

[rfranklin]

3. Let the market regulate school bus safety...

No need for the government to be involved in people's lives.

[Marrah_G]

7. This was in China

Pretty sure the government there was already involved...

[freshwest]

9. +1,000. Profits and losses measured in blood. An especially terrible event.

:cry:

[krispos42]

4. Oh, that's just terrible

:-(

[valerief]

5. I was surprised to see it was China. I was certain it was the U.S. nt

[snooper2]

6. Why would you be certain? 64 people on a nine seat bus?

You see a lot of that around your parts?

Last time we had something even remotely similar was when some coyote was moving 20 illegal immigrants in a dodge minivan.

[valerief]

13. Whew, I totally missed that nine-seater thing!!! Holy crap! nt

[tawadi]

8. So sad

So young. Their poor parents. :-(

[Politicalboi]

10. Here's our future

Only the bus would crash, and the bridge it was on would collapse.

[ecstatic]

15. if repubs get their way, it certainly will be

Their goal is to cut agencies (like the Dept of Education) and cut funds from everything the 99% depends on.

[barbtries]

11. that's so sad.

:cry:

[Beacool]

12. How sad!!!

I'm so sorry to hear this, it's always horrible to hear about children dying.

May they all rest in peace.

:-(

[Samba]

14. each an only child

I can't picture it. 64 people on a minibus is like 1/2 sq ft per person. Stacked in like cordwood? or standing room only and then another course standing on the roof. Even with little 40 pound kids, it doesn't sound possible.

[JVS]

16. 62 kids in the back of a van?

[oberliner]

17. Disturbing story in many ways

Always heartbreaking when so many young people are killed - and it looks like this was completely avoidable.