VILLUPURAM: A five-year-old girl died and 30 students were injured when an overcrowded van turned turtle on its way to school near Ulundurpet on Monday. The van driver did not have driving license and was talking on his cellphone when the mishap took place, according to police.The vehicle had picked up 45 schoolchildren, instead of its actual capacity of 18, as another van that used to transport the children from Palakollai village in Cuddalore district to the school had broken down. Initial investigation reveal that van driver Chandrasekaran (35) was talking on the cellphone and overspeeding when he lost control of the vehicle and hit a roadside wall in Naynarkuppam village, police said.Passersby, who saw the accident, claimed that the van was racing with another vehicle because of which the accident took place.UKG student Anjana (5), daughter of Manikandan of Palakollai, suffered injuries on her head and died on the spot. Thirty children, who were injured, were admitted to Mundiyampakkam Government Medical College Hospital.As the news of the accident spread, parents thronged the hospital. Locals said that Anjana was the granddaughter of driver Chandrasekaran’s elder sister. Since most of the students are natives of Palakollai, a pall of gloom descended on the village.Sources said that the van had no proper registration documents. Deputy Transport Commissioner Muruganandham visited the spot and ordered checking of documents of vans plying in the area. Tahsildar Markabandhu and Inspector Rajendran conducted inquiries.
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