Kanker, February 9: Seven schoolchildren were killed and two others, including a student, were critically injured after an autorickshaw ferrying the kids was hit by a truck in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Thursday, a senior police official said. Earlier, the police said five children had died.

Eight students from a private school were going home in the auto when the accident took place on the Korar-Bhanupratappur Road around 3.10 pm under the Korar police station limits, the official said. Five students died on the spot, while two others were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, he said. Australia Road Accident: Four Dead, One Seriously Injured As Car Collides With Utility Vehicle Near Cosgrove-Lemnos Road.

One student and the auto driver are seriously injured and they have been taken to the state capital Raipur, about 140 km from Korar, for better medical assistance, the official said. Uttarakhand Road Accident: Cement-Laden Truck Rams Into Lachhiwala Toll Plaza in Doiwala, Girl Injured (Watch Video).

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed condolences over the death of the schoolchildren. The administration has been directed to extend all possible help to the injured, he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Seven Schoolchildren Killed in Chhattisgarh Road Accident:

“May God give courage to the family members,” added CM Baghel. The truck driver fled the spot leaving behind the heavy vehicle, the official said. “We have launched a search to nab the truck driver,” he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)