11 Children Killed After Deadly School Van Crash In China

A school van transporting students to their kindergarten class suffered a deadly crash this week, killing 11 children in China.

Fifteen children were on board the school’s minivan as it crashed into a roadside pond in eastern rural China on Monday. The accident resulted in the deaths of several students, according to reports by state media officials.

An article by Fox News writes that three of the young children died at the scene of the crash while an additional eight students lost their lives after being taken to the hospital. All of the children were between the ages of 4 and 6 years.

Of the students involved, only four were able to survive following the tragic event. An adult teacher and the van’s driver also survived.

The accident site was reportedly located in Guixi city in Jiangxi province, China. Most of the available information was reported by a Chinese official identified only by the surname of Jiang.

Authorities are in the process of investigation and reportedly detained the minivan’s driver for questioning.

The vehicle is owned by the Chunlei kindergarten school. Chinese media outlets have allegedly reported that the school does not have a government license allowing it to operate.

There has also been speculation that the van was traveling at unsafe speeds. The driver is said to have swerved the minivan away from the direction of a vehicle parked alongside the road. This action allegedly caused the van to plunge into the waters of a nearby pond.

According to BBC News, the crash on Monday is a tragic addition to a rash of deadly road accidents plaguing China recently. Most of the incidents involved young children.

In rural areas of China, cars are often poorly maintained. This may contribute to a string of recent deadly road accidents involving children in China.

In November of 2011, a fatal bus crash resulted in the deaths of 18 young children. That accident brought outrage from citizens that led to officials to assure the public that funding will be provided for school bus maintenance.

Authorities in China have not released an official report on the exactly what caused the 11 children to be killed in the most recent deadly crash.