2011 Gansu school bus crash
| 2011 Gansu school bus crash | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 16 November 2011 |
| Location | Gansu province, China |
| Statistics | |
| Deaths | 21 including 19 children |
On November 16, 2011, a school bus run by a private kindergarten collided head-on with a coal truck in Gansu province, China. 19 children were killed, as were 2 adults.[1] The bus was originally a nine-seat van, but it had been modified to carry more passengers, and was severely overcrowded; 62 children were on board at the time of the crash, along with the 2 adults.[1] The government immediately closed the school and opened a public one in its place, with a 45-seat bus donated by an oil company.[1] The school's owner, Li Jungang, was arrested on "suspicion of causing traffic casualties"; the parents of each child killed were to be awarded 436,000 yuan in compensation.[1]
The accident caused a great deal of outcry on the Chinese internet, with many posters criticizing the small amount of money spent on education.[2] Further criticism was leveled at the government when it was announced shortly after the crash that China would donate 23 school buses to Macedonia; many microbloggers questioned the propriety of donating decent vehicles to a foreign country while subjecting Chinese children to substandard conditions.[3]