Schoolkids injured as van falls into pit

The police have arrested the van driver, Jacob (31) of Ayanavaram, who works for Velammal School in Mel Ayanambakkam for over 10 years. The incident took place in the afternoon when Jacob was driving the children back home from school. 

“After he dropped a child near Asalathamman temple on Vellalar Street, instead of taking reverse to avoid a pit, he drove the vehicle into an under-construction building on the side. When he came out on the other side, the right front tyre slid into the pit and the entire vehicle fell into the pit,” said an investigating officer. 

The van driver is said to have instructed the kids to get out through the rear window. Later, the van was removed from the pit with the help of a crane. Since the vehicle was moving slow, most of the students escaped unhurt while a few suffered minor injuries. The incident panicked the parents, who rushed to the spot creating a minor tension in the locality. Dwellers of the street complained that the storm water drain has been going on for months and added that motorists remove barricades despite warnings not to use the narrow passage. 

Police said the unfinished storm water drain work continued to pose hazards to motorists across the suburbs as several roads are being dug up to carry out the work.