On the morning of September 3, a serious traffic accident occurred at the entrance of a middle school in Dongping County, Tai’an City, Shandong Province, resulting in dozens of casualties.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, the accident happened around 7 o’clock in the morning near Foshan Middle School in Dongping County, Tai’an City, Shandong Province, when a custom school bus carrying students suddenly veered into a crowd of students heading to school.
An internet user known as “Xiaoyang Home Encyclopedia” mentioned that it was the first day of school, and there were many students and parents at the school gate. They stated, “The vehicle just plowed straight through the crowd!”
Local netizens described the involved custom school bus as a medium-sized bus capable of carrying 52 people. It was noted that it is a “Coaster” typically used by county-level agencies and was customized by the school.
The Dongping County Public Security Bureau reported that at 7:27 a.m. on September 3, a bus operated by a transportation company to pick up students lost control at the intersection of Xuchang Road in Dongping County, injuring 24 parents and students nearby. As of now, 11 people have died (6 parents and 5 students), 1 is in critical condition, and 12 others are injured. The driver involved has been detained by the police.
However, eyewitnesses at the scene claim that over 30 people have died.
A video provided by an eyewitness to Epoch Times shows a horrifying scene with parents and students lying on the ground, some trapped under the bus. There were large pools of blood on the ground, and many were unresponsive. Some students had head injuries, sitting dazed on the ground with their clothes drenched in blood. The video captures the heartbreaking cries of parents and children.
While recording the scene on video, the eyewitness expressed in horror, “It’s terrible, it’s all over, it’s so tragic.” “My goodness, I was standing there and almost died too. It scared me.”
The official report attributes the cause of the accident to “loss of control.” A netizen speculated, “I heard that the school bus had brake failure.” However, an eyewitness who provided photos to Epoch Times questioned, “Do you believe the brake failure theory when people are lying on both sides?”
The accident has garnered attention online, with many netizens commenting on the tragic scene. Some expressed, “The scene is too tragic.” “Watching the video is truly heart-wrenching.” “There are still many people trapped under the bus; it’s really a calamity. Let’s hope the number of casualties doesn’t increase.” “At 7:30 in the morning, hearing the sirens of police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks, we knew something major had happened. It’s the neighboring school; hoping the children will recover well, it’s just heartbreaking, they are of such a young age.” “Investigate whether it was a vehicle issue or a driver issue, whether it was intentional or drunk driving?”
“It’s so frightening! It’s truly unpredictable; such incidents can happen even at schools. Where is safe anymore?” “Many families will face devastation, it’s heartbreaking!” “It’s unfathomable.”