A tragic incident unfolded in Tai’an city, Shandong province in China on September 3, 2024, when a school bus plowed into a crowd of people gathered outside a school gate, resulting in the fatalities of 11 individuals. The victims were comprised of five students and six parents.
State media reports indicated that the bus lost control and hit the group of individuals, causing severe injuries. In addition to the deceased, 13 others were hurt in the crash, with one person in critical condition. At the time of the accident, students were aboard the bus.
In the aftermath of the accident, local enforcement agencies detained the bus driver and launched a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of the crash. Preliminary findings have not established whether the incident was deliberate, but the police are treating the matter gravely.
Photographs disseminated on social networks depicted adults attending to children clad in blood-soaked clothes, lying next to the large, grey bus. Although the authenticity of the images was initially in question, they were subsequently verified as being from the school in Shandong where the accident took place.
The incident took place just a few days after the start of the new academic year, intensifying the sorrow of the local community. The accident in Tai’an underscores the regular occurrence of fatal traffic accidents in China. For instance, in July, a vehicular accident in Changsha resulted in eight fatalities and multiple injuries.
While the investigation is ongoing, officials have appealed to the public to avoid conjecture until all details are revealed. The school where the tragedy occurred has temporarily halted classes and is offering counseling services to students and staff impacted by the incident.
Concerns over school safety, including issues such as overcrowded buses and poorly constructed buildings, have been ongoing problems in China. A distressing incident in 2017 in Weihai, Shandong province, saw a school bus crash and catch fire in a tunnel, leading to the deaths of 12 individuals, including 11 kindergarteners. The victims comprised the driver, six Chinese children, and five South Korean children. The exact cause of that crash, whether intentional or due to unsafe driving conditions, remains indeterminate.