After the recent school bus accident, in which 32 children lost their lives, many families are grieving and the nation is mourning deeply. The accident happened at dawn Monday, with many excited young students on the bus to start their day. As reported so far, the bus left the road for reasons not yet known and fell into a ravine.
The disaster was so big that emergency teams got there quickly, but they saw the true extent right away. Many victims were found dead at the scene by rescuers and additional deaths occurred after people were taken to nearby hospitals.
The pain is very deep. But parents, members of the family, teachers and neighbors came together, most of them stunned and shaken by what happened. There were those who anxiously hoped for any word about their children and unfortunately, some found out that their children had vanished.
Candles were lit and flowers were placed in tribute to the young lives lost at vigils that took place throughout a number of towns. The entire community feels the sadness and a nation tries to understand how large and tragic the incident was.
Government officials have sent condolences to the families and named a national day for mourning. Flags everywhere have been lowered and as a sign of respect, schools all over the nation held a short period of silent remembrance for the victims. Officials in the education ministry have committed to examine if the reason for the accident was a vehicle defect, mistakes made by the driver or faulty parts of the road. The bus driver, who was unharmed in the crash and is treated in a hospital, is planned to share details with the investigators.
Counseling services have been organized in affected areas because it is known that this kind of disaster often leaves strong emotional effects on survivors and their families. School staff and the victims’ classmates are offered help to manage their traumatic experience, since many are having difficulty coping with the deaths of their friends and classmates.
Many tributes are coming in from other nations as the country mourns. Various messages of support, solidarity and kindness have been sent from governments around the world, support groups and communities of diaspora. The silence is very heavy at this time, as families try to bury their children and feel the pain parents should not have to experience.