Agra: Minor girl slips through broken school bus floor, dies

Agra: A nine-year-old girl died after falling through the broken floor of a moving school bus in Agra’s Etmadpur area on Wednesday, raising serious questions about the safety of school transport vehicles. The incident comes days after a similar tragedy in Aligarh on February 28, in which a seven-year-old girl lost her life.

Police said the victim, identified as Naina, a Class 1 student, slipped through the damaged floor of the bus and fell onto the road while it was in motion. The wheel of the bus then ran over her before the driver could stop the vehicle.

The accident occurred near Biharipura under the Etmadpur police station limits. Naina was a student of RBS School in Bhagupur village and a resident of Nagla Lale village in Agra district.

According to family members, the school bus was in a dilapidated condition. They alleged that instead of proper seats, children were made to sit on wooden planks placed over broken portions of the floor. When the bus crossed a speed breaker with a strong jolt, one of the planks slipped, causing Naina to lose her balance and fall through the damaged section.

Other children on the bus raised an alarm after the incident, prompting the driver to stop the vehicle. The girl was rushed to a hospital but doctors declared her dead on arrival.

Naina had left for school in the morning with her elder sister Pari, a Class 5 student in the same school. The two sisters were returning home around 3 pm when the accident took place.

Naina’s father Brahmajeet alleged that the school management did not immediately inform the family about the incident. He said he came to know about the accident only after contacting the school authorities.