Children seriously injured in bus crash

A bus crash in Melbourne, Australia has left a group of primary-aged schoolchildren with traumatic injuries and reports say one child has had to have an amputation.

There were 45 children on the bus and 18 of them were aged between 5 and 11 are in hospital with some having emergency surgery and one in intensive care.

Police said the bus had just left the school when the bus was hit by a truck. Many children ended up trapped inside the school bus and they were freed by bystanders, teachers and first responders.

The child who has had a limb amputated suffered from a crush injury while others had head or spinal injuries as well as cuts and bruises.

Seven children are known to be in hospital. The bus driver, 52, was also taken to hospital with minor injuries. The truck driver has also sustained minor injuries and he has since been charged with dangerous driving.

The school principal, Lisa Campo of Exford Primary School on the outskirts of Melbourne, said it was very distressing and she could imagine the children’s fear.

Australia the BBC News report said, has a below-average road safety record when it is compared with other advanced economies. It ranks 20^th out of 36 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, which include Germany, France and Spain.