Rajnagar: At least 14 students of a private English-medium school had a narrow escape after a van carrying them plunged into a roadside abandoned canal in Laxminarayanpur in Kendrapara district on Monday.
The mishap took place at around 11 AM in the morning while a van of Rajnagar St. Xavier Public School was on its way to school carrying a group of students. It is suspected that the driver of the van lost control over the wheels causing it to overturn and plunge into an unused canal near Laxminarayanpur. However, a major mishap was averted as the van got stuck in algae formed on the water and didn’t drown.
Later, some passers-by swung into action and rescued the children from the van along with a teacher who was accompanying them.
Angry locals detained the driver of the van for quite some time holding him responsible for the mishap. He was released only after police reached the spot and intervened.