Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the ASEAN-China Commemorative Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian island of Bali November 18, 2011. Wen pledged central and local government funds to improve and provide school bus service to China’s schools in the wake of a traffic accident that killed 18 pre-school children.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao today pledged central and local government funds to improve and provide school bus service to schools in the wake of a traffic accident that killed 18 pre-school children and sparked outrage across the country.
A school van with nine seats but crammed with 62 children and two adults crashed head-on into a coal truck in western Gansu province after the van swerved into oncoming traffic, television and other media reports said.
The two adults on board also died in the crash and 44 people were injured.
The tragedy prompted a swell of comments on the Internet and in the press calling for an overhaul of China’s badly managed and underserviced school transportation system. Rural areas in particular are known for unsafe transportation for children in aging, badly maintained vans and trucks.
The central and regional governments would provide funds for closer monitoring of manufacturing, renovation and allocation of school buses, Wen said at a conference on women’s and children’s affairs in Beijing, the Chinese government said on its official website.
Authorities would also work to improve management of bus systems and boost safety, Wen said.
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