A tragic incident occurred in Tai’an city, Shandong province, eastern China, on Tuesday morning, when a bus crashed into a group of students and parents outside a middle school, resulting in 11 fatalities and 13 injuries.
According to local police and state media reports, the incident took place just after 7 a.m. as students were waiting to enter the school gate.
The bus, which had been specially designed to transport students, reportedly lost control as it approached an intersection near the school. Five students and six parents died. One of the injured people remains in critical condition, while the others are said to be in stable condition.
Police have detained the bus driver and are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Authorities have yet to confirm whether the incident was intentional or the result of mechanical failure or driver error.
China has experienced a series of similar tragedies involving schoolchildren in recent years. The incident in Tai’an is part of a broader pattern of road traffic accidents and attacks near schools. For instance, in March of this year, a car in Dezhou, another city in Shandong, crashed into a group of students, killing two and severely injuring six. Later that same month, a bus carrying students collided with a dump truck in Jiangsu province, resulting in one death and several injuries.
These incidents have raised concerns about the safety of school transportation and the enforcement of traffic rules in China. Traffic accidents remain a major problem in the country, with poor enforcement of traffic laws and a lack of safety awareness contributing to the high number of fatalities.
In response to these ongoing safety concerns, Chinese authorities have urged schools across the country to implement more stringent safety measures. These include improving bus safety, increasing traffic patrols in school zones, and addressing potential campus safety hazards.
