Saxony - Child dies in school bus accident in the Ore Mountains
A child has died in a serious bus accident in the Ore Mountains. According to the police, the bus collided with the side of a winter service vehicle in Sehmatal on Tuesday morning and then crashed head-on into a tree. According to the Ministry of Education, the children on the bus were pupils from an elementary school. "This is terrible news that has hit me hard," Minister of Education Christian Piwarz (CDU) told the German Press Agency. "My thoughts are with the injured children and their parents."
The police also announced that the fatality was a pupil. Two adults, including the bus driver, were also seriously injured. Eleven other schoolchildren also suffered injuries, one of whom was still receiving medical treatment in hospital at midday. The police did not disclose the ages of the boy who was killed or the injured. The Ministry of Education also did not want to give any further details about the school out of consideration for the pupils.
The uninjured pupils were given psychological support in an after-school care center, the ministry said. The State Office for Schools and Education is also investigating the need for further assistance. "We will offer the affected school and the pupils all the support they need in this situation," Piwarz assured.
According to the police's initial assessment, the road was slippery at the time of the accident. The accident service was on site and investigating, said a spokesperson. The impact was so violent that the front two meters of the bus were completely destroyed.
Extremely slippery roads
On Tuesday morning, rain had led to black ice on numerous roads in the high regions of Saxony. "The precipitation was converted from snow to rain by a warm layer of air at around 1500 meters in the morning," explained Florian Engelmann from the German Weather Service on request. If the rain then falls on cleared, exposed roads, which have a temperature below zero degrees, especially at high altitudes, it becomes extremely slippery.
Serious bus accidents involving schoolchildren have already caused great concern in the past. In January 2020, for example, a school bus with more than 20 children on board skidded in western Thuringia, slid down a slope and overturned several times. Two eight-year-olds from a second class died and many other children were injured. In October 2015, a coach carrying schoolchildren from Saxony crashed on the highway near Erfurt. The five-year-old son of a teacher died and more than a dozen pupils aged 13 and 14 were seriously injured.
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- The bus accident in Sehmatal has prompted renewed discussions about traffic safety in winter conditions.
- Christian Piwarz, the Minister of Education in Saxony, expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased child and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.
- The CDU, the ruling party in Saxony, has called for a thorough investigation into the school bus accident in the Ore Mountains.
- The German Press Agency reported that the school bus involved in the accident was carrying children from a local elementary school.
- Rain and Black ice made the roads in the high regions of Saxony extremely slippery on Tuesday, increasing the risk of accidents.
- The German Weather Service explained that rain falling on roads with temperatures below zero degrees can turn into black ice, causing vehicles to lose control.
- The ministry of culture in Germany has also offered its support to the affected school and children, recognizing the emotional impact such accidents can have.
- The police are still investigating the cause of the bus accident, interviewing witnesses and examining the condition of the vehicle and the road.
- The Children and parents of the injured children are hoping for a quick recovery and are seeking answers as to how such an accident could have occurred.
Source: www.stern.de
