Some of the parents of the deceased and injured children also said that instead of the driver, Venkatesh, the cleaner, Srinivas, had been driving the bus for the last 10 days as part of his training.
They said that this was the prime reason for the accident.
After the incident, angry parents and relatives attacked the school and destroyed furniture. While the police were shifting the driver Venkatesh to the police station, some parents thrashed him before slitting his throat with a piece of sharp iron. As a result he too was admitted to a hospital in Kothagudem, initially and later shifted to Khammam hospital.
Witnesses said that the accident took place as the driver was trying to avoid hitting a buffalo and an oncoming motorbike. As a result he lost control and the bus fell into the rivulet.
District collector Siddartha Jain rushed to the spot after receiving a call from Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in the evening to monitor rescue operations.
The Collector announced Rs50,000 for families of the deceased students and Rs25,000 for the injured students as an immediate relief. He issued orders for a detailed inquiry into the mishap. He also appointed Kothagudem RDO G. Dharma Rao as the inquiry officer.