Bus crash kills 40 children in Gujarat; Baroda Bishop condoles the tragedy

At least 40 school children and three adults were killed on Wednesday when their bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a canal in Gujarat.

Their bodies have been recovered, but some children were still missing, said R.K. Patel, a senior police officer in the state. Four children were rescued.

“The driver seems to have lost control and the bus broke through a protective railing, plunging it into the canal,” the police official said, according to the AFP.

“Forty–four bodies have been fished out of the canal so far,” police officer M.S. Bhabhor said.

Many anxious parents rushed to the scene of the disaster, as rescue workers struggled to find survivors in the water and a huge crane was used to haul the smashed vehicle out of the Narmada canal.

"I was sitting in the last seat and suddenly I felt the bus going down," said Sunil Thakore, 13, one of the few children who managed to swim to safety.

"I could see everything floating outside, and tried to call but there was no one around," added Thakore. "I tried to pull my friend along, but it was impossible for me to swim with him."

Angry villagers accused the rescue operations for delaying and said the “children could have been saved if it started in time.”

"For two hours I could see bodies floating in the canal, but nobody came to help us and all we could do was cry and scream for help," said Rambhai Thakore, a villager from Bamroli, which lost 15 girls in the accident.

Bishop of Baroda Godfrey De Rozario has condoled the death of “innocent children” and assured “support of prayers for the bereaved families.”

“Words cannot express adequately our sorrow and shock at the pain of the children and their teachers and the loss of those who have lost a loved one,” added Bishop Rozario.

Meanwhile, Gujarat state government has announced a compensation of 100,000 Rupees for families of the dead. It is yet to announce an inquiry into the cause of the accident.