RIYADH, 21 October 2003 — Some 22 students of the International Indian School in Riyadh were injured, two of them seriously, when a private school bus in which they were traveling met with an accident while returning from the school.
The seriously injured students — Mehboob, 11, and Hyder, 9, both from the 4th grade — have been admitted to the intensive care unit of the National Hospital and will need surgery, hospital sources said. They said both Mehboob and Hyder were progressing satisfactorily. The rest were treated and discharged. The van driver is being treated at Al-Emaan Hospital for a broken leg.
The school van overturned on Exit 16 after being rammed by a vehicle from behind. According to Muhammad Ali Ponnur, the chairman of the school’s managing committee, the school will cover the cost of treatment for all injured students.
The school, with a strength of 10,000 students, has 31 coaches and five SAPTCO buses. However, a majority of the parents still depend on private vehicles.