Kakkanad: Miraculous escape for six students

Kochi: Six students of a private school at  Kakkanad had a miraculous escape when the van in which they were travelling skidded off the road and perched precariously on the banks of Periyar Valley canal  near Thrikkakara on Tuesday. The accident  occurred  around 8 in the morning near Changalamoola.  According to Motor Vehicles Department officials, the van skidded after  the driver lost control of it. Local people rushed to the spot and saved the children.

Preliminary investigations by the MVD officials attributed the accident to negligence by the van driver. “It would have been a big tragedy if the van had fallen  into the canal  since it was almost full with water. His licence was suspended,” an official with the regional transport authority said. In the wake of the Maradu accident, which claimed the lives of three kids and another person, the MVD has intensified monitoring of vehicles carrying students. The department warned that the permits  will be cancelled if such accidents happen.