25 students from Ranchi injured as bus overturns in Sikkim

Gangtok: Twenty-five college students from Ranchi were injured when their bus overturned in East Sikkim on Tuesday, police said.

The students of St Xavier’s College in Jharkhand’s Ranchi were on an excursion to Sikkim, they said.

When they were returning to Siliguri in West Bengal on their way to Ranchi, their bus overturned at 7th Mile in Ranipool police station area, police said.

The driver of the bus, registered in West Bengal, lost control of the vehicle due to rash driving, they said.

The injured students were admitted to the Central Referral Hospital (CRH) at Tadong.

A team of 50 doctors, 46 nurses and 30 support staff are taking care of the 25 injured students, the hospital said in a statement in the evening.

Three students, who sustained serious injuries, were shifted to the ICU, while the rest were undergoing treatment in the general ward, it said.

Their conditions were being constantly monitored and special arrangements have been made for their treatment, the hospital said.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said he has directed state officials to make arrangements to bring back the students by air.

”At present, due to bad weather there, we are not able to airlift the children. Arrangements have been done for their proper treatment there,” Soren tweeted.

He said he has spoken to Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang to ensure proper treatment of the injured students.

Tamang said he was constantly monitoring the situation.

The hospital authorities have been directed to provide utmost care and attention to the injured students, he said.