Driver killed as school van falls into canal

LUCKNOW - A driver was killed and 10 students were injured Saturday when a school van they were travelling in overturned and fell into a canal in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad district, police said.

The accident took place in Holagarh town, some 200 km from Lucknow, when the driver of the speeding van of Patanjali Vidya Niketan applied brakes to avoid collision with another vehicle.

“The driver died on the spot. All the 10 injured students are being treated and are stated to be out of danger,” police inspector Nand Lal told reporters in Allahabad.

It could have been a major tragedy, but with the timely information given by the locals of the area, police teams rushed to the spot and safely rescued all the students, who were trapped inside the van,” he said.

According to police, the injured students are in the age group of 7-12 years.