11 Killed As Bus Crashes Into Parents & Kids Outside China School, Driver Detained

The incident took place around 7.30 am, when students and parents were at the gate of Foshan Junior High School in Taian city, Shandong province. Two dozen people were injured in the accident.

Eleven people were killed and 24 injured when a school bus crashed into students and parents in front of a junior high school in eastern China on Tuesday morning. The incident took place around 7.30 am, when students and parents were at the gate of Foshan Junior High School in Taian city, Shandong province.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the police in Dongping, the county where the accident occurred, said in a statement that the 11 deceased include six parents and five children. Of the injured, one person was said to be in critical condition, while 12 people were said to be stable. Tuesday marked the second day of the new school year in China.

When the bus was getting close to a crossroads, the driver is believed to have lost control and crashed into the crowd, reported SCMP. The bus was reportedly customised to transport students. According to AP, many schools contract transport services to private companies or individuals.

The police did not say who was responsible for operating the bus. The driver has been taken into police custody, and the incident is under investigation.

Safety issues, such as overloaded school buses and poorly designed buildings, have been a longstanding concern in China. With the new school year, China has called for an emphasis on campus security, as per SCMP.

The state-run People’s Daily said in a report on Sunday that measures to address parents’ concerns about children’s safety include the implementation of anti-crash road fences and increased traffic police patrol. 

The SCMP said it is not known yet whether the accident was an intentional attack on children, citing previous such incidents.

In March, a 46-year-old man in Dezhou, Shandong province, drove into a crowd in front of a junior school, killing two pedestrians and severely injuring six others. He was detained by the police, as per SCMP

In July, a man attacked a Japanese mother and her child who were waiting at a bus stop in Jiangsu province. He then tried to get on the bus, which was carrying Japanese schoolchildren. An unemployed 52-year-old man was detained over the attack.  One woman died in the attack, reportedly while saving the Japanese woman and her child.