Bus carrying kindergarten children crashes in Toh Yi

A school bus carrying nine kindergarten children on Tuesday crashed through a barrier near Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary near Toh Yi Drive, hitting two stationary vehicles and a bicycle along the way.

The children and the driver escaped without serious injuries. The bus was said to be making its way out of Glory Kindergarten when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle.

A spokesperson for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was informed of the incident at 12.12pm and despatched one ambulance to the scene. The assistance of the SCDF paramedics was not required as those on board the bus - nine children, the bus attendant and the driver - reported minor injuries.

A police spokesperson said that investigations are ongoing. The children on board the bus were said to be wearing seat belts, which probably prevented a more serious mishap from happening. School buses were required to install seat belts, after much public debate following the death of an eight-year-old, who was flung out of his school bus in April 2008.

Mini-buses that ferry schoolchildren were required to have front-facing seats and three-point seat belts by end-2011, while other small buses - which hold no more than 15 passengers - will have till the end of this year to comply with the ruling. The Government had previously said it will spend at least S$35 million to help bus operators finance the retrofitting.

Tuesday's incident was the second involving a bus in the past three days. On Sunday, a SMRT bus veered across four lanes as it exited the Bukit Timah Expressway, crashing through a barrier before flipping onto its side. The accident left a 19-year-old Malaysian man dead and another passenger injured.

Source: Channelnewsasia

---