Hyderabad: The six children were left in shock after their autorickshaw suddenly fell on its side. Two children received serious injuries.
The panic-stricken kids immediately started crying. All the children fell on those sitting to one side of the auto resulting to bruises on the elbows, hands and knees.
Mr P. Saidulu, the parent of two of the students in the autorickshaw, said, “One of my kids got injured on his hand for which he had to get three stitches at the hospital. The kids were shocked and all of them were crying. They are slowly recovering.
“Many parents opt for autorickshaw to take their children between school and home rather than school buses because of the costs involved, the flexibility in timings and the fact that autorickshaws can reach their house while school buses do not enter narrow lanes.
Another parent, on condition of anonymity, said that, “Though we send our children in autorickshaws, we ensure that it is not overcrowded. The buses take time as there are so many children in them. The time factor makes it more convenient to opt for autorickshaws.”
In the primary section, the school timings are different and also small children are easy to manage in autos, opined the parents.
Though this particular auto in the incident had children under the legal limit, there are many autos overloaded with students which pose a major risk of such accidents.
The school authorities stated that their children were safe and would not like to comment further.
