The vehicle which turned turtle at Sakchi. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, Dec. 23: Pre-Christmas revelry turned gloomy this morning when children of a city school met with an accident.

Although 10, including eight students, were injured, no one died in the mishap that took place near the sales tax office.

Two of them sustained grievous injuries.

Students and teachers of Earnest Career Academy, Sakchi, were going to a picnic in Dalma when the vehicle (Tata-407) turned turtle while negotiating a crossing.

The vehicle was carrying 40 students and 20 faculty members and their family members.

Soon after the accident, local residents rushed to the spot and helped the victims come out from the overturned vehicle and took them to the hospitals.

According to preliminary investigation, the accident seems to have caused due to rash driving.

The driver of the vehicle who was beaten up by local people fled the spot.

“We repeatedly asked the driver to lower the speed but he didn’t pay heed to our words. Rash driving resulted in the accident. The vehicle overturned while negotiating a crossing,” said a student present in the vehicle.

Another student said: “The local people came forward to help us. They brought us out from the overturned vehicle and took us to the hospitals.”

Some of the victims were taken to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital while some were taken to Tata Main Hospital. However, those with minor injuries were released after first aid.

The younger brother of the principal of the institute who was there among the picnickers fractured his backbone and lower ribs in the accident and is admitted to the Tata Main Hospital.

“Due to serious injury he has been advised to stay in the hospital. However, another student, who had head injuries has been released in evening after some stitches,” said the principal.

B.B. Tirkey, the inspecter-cum-office in charge of Bistupur police station said the institute had not lodged an FIR in this regard.

“It was a case of rash driving, but fortunately all picnickers escaped with minor injuries,” he said.