Three children killed, two injured after car plunges into pond in Howrah

The police identified the deceased children as Ishita Mondol (7), Sourik Das (11) and Arin Dey (9).

According to the eyewitnesses, five students were sitting in the vehicle, out of whom two were sitting in the front while the rest were sitting in the back of the van.

“It was afternoon and the road was empty. Suddenly, we heard a loud sound, following which we rushed to the spot and saw the partially-submerged vehicle in the pond. Hearing the screams of the children, we immediately rushed to rescue them,” a local resident shared.

According to the locals, the two sitting in the front were rescued first and there was some trouble in rescuing the three children sitting in the back. By the time the children sitting in the back were rescued, they had lost consciousness, said another eyewitness.

The children were rushed to Sarat Chandra Medical College, where doctors declared three of them dead. The two others are undergoing medical treatment.

The accident happened around 3 pm after the five children — studying in Mother Marina Mission School — were returning home from the school in a van, said a senior police officer.

The children used to travel home in that van regularly but on Monday since the roads were empty, the vehicle was travelling at high speed, alleged area residents.

Meanwhile, TMC MLA Pulok Roy along with Howrah Gramin Superintendent of Police Subimal Roy and other officials visited the injured children in the hospital and inquired about their condition. They also spoke to the doctors and parents of the injured children.

According to the Uluberia police officers, a probe has been launched into the accident and they are trying to ascertain the chain of events. The police are also investigating if the vehicle suffered any mechanical failure before the accident. According to police sources, the driver had dropped one of the students earlier and shortly after that, he lost control, causing the car to fall into the pond.

The accused driver identified as Simanto Bag, who was absconding, was arrested later in the day and is being interrogated, said the senior police officer.

Sources said that the police are investigating multiple angles in connection with the accident, including mechanical failure of the car, if the driver had fallen asleep or was driving rashly.

The police said that during the initial probe, it came to the fore that the driver had undergone a heart surgery one month ago. The police are also investigating if the driver had fallen ill while driving.

The vehicle was later taken out of the pond with the help of cranes and impounded. A case has been registered against the accused driver under the provisions of the BNS, said the police.