School bus accident in Santander: of the 17 injured, two girls have the most serious state of health

National and local authorities are vigilant of the situation of minors affected by the recent accident of a school bus that overturned in the municipality of San Andrés, Santander. In the incident, six children were killed and 17 more injured; two of them were more serious in health.

The event occurred on March 22 when the bus rolled about 250 meters into the abyss, with 25 children and five adults on board, on the Malaga road. This was the first day of operation of the school route service, which was designed by the municipality's mayor's office to transport minors living in nearby towns and thus avoid having to walk so many kilometers to go to school and back home.

Of the children who were injured, the poor state of health of the girls Yareli Castellanos Sierra, aged 10, and Jenny Gabriela Osorio Avila, age 7, stood out. Blu Radio learned more details about the health status of the students of the La Laguna de Ortices Institute.

Yareli Castellanos was transferred to the International Hospital of Colombia (HIC) in Piedecuesta, Santander. The radio station learned about the state of health through the director of HIC, Frank Serrato: “In critical condition, we went directly to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, we have it with severe polytrauma, severe head trauma and some fractures in both clavicles”. The doctor also assured that the diagnostic studies indicated that surgical intervention is not required for the time being.

Meanwhile, the case of Jenny Gabriela Osorio was even more complicated. The doctors of the García Rovira Regional Hospital in Malaga had not authorized the transfer of the minor to Bucaramanga until she was stabilized. “He has multiple trauma, severe head trauma, fracture of the right clavicle, blunt chest trauma with right pneumothorax with fracture of the costal arches, closed abdominal trauma and he has a reserved prognosis,” Luis José Medina, manager of the medical center confirmed to Blu Radio.

Around 2:00 this Wednesday afternoon, the governor of Santander, Mauricio Aguilar Hurtado, announced that the medical report endorsed Gabriela's air transfer from Malaga to Piedecuesta. “Thanks to the support of the Air Force, the girl will receive specialized care in the next few minutes at the International Hospital of Colombia,” the official wrote on his Twitter account.

The reasons behind the accident

Aguilar said last Tuesday that, according to preliminary information, there is the first hypothesis that a possible mechanical failure in the car caused the road accident. “The first inquiries are that in those two kilometers that this school transport vehicle had traveled,” commented the departmental president. Apparently there was a mishap, it went out, but we are in the matter of investigation.”

While these facts have not yet been confirmed, the Superintendency of Transport recently revealed that the vehicle did not have the documentation required to provide the school route service. It appears that the vehicle did not have an operating card and registered three traffic accidents in 2007 and 2008.

“It was possible to establish that the SRY939 license plate bus did not have a record of any particular transport company, although it has Soat, policy certificate and current technical-mechanical review,” the statement states,” the press release shared by the entity reads.

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