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On November 16, 2011, a school bus run by a private kindergarten collided head-on with a coal truck in Zhengning County, Gansu, China. Nineteen children were killed, as were two adults.

Incident

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 two adults. It was involved in a head-on collision with a truck.

Aftermath

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. The government immediately closed the school and opened a public one in its place, with a 45-seat bus donated by an oil company.

The accident caused a great deal of outcry on the Chinese Internet, with many posters criticizing the small amount of money spent on education. Further criticism was leveled at the government when it was announced shortly after the crash that China would donate 23 school buses to North Macedonia. Many microbloggers questioned the propriety of donating decent vehicles to a foreign country while subjecting Chinese children to substandard conditions.

References

1. ^ "China arrests head of school that ran packed bus". USA TODAY. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
2. "20 children killed in China school bus crash". 2011-11-16. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
3. "China school bus crash kills 20, state media say". CNN. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
4. "Gansu School Bus Crash Sparks Anger". Retrieved 9 April 2016.
5. "Chinese Netizens Question Donation of School Buses to Macedonia". VOA. 27 November 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2016.

• 2011 disasters in China
• Bus incidents in China
• 2011 road incidents in Asia
• Disasters in Gansu
• November 2011 events in China