Kota, Rajasthan: Two schoolchildren lost their lives and more than a dozen others were injured after a school van collided head-on with an SUV here on Saturday morning, police said.

The accident occurred near the 132 kV grid station in the Etawa police station limits. According to police and eyewitnesses, a tyre of the school van suddenly burst, causing the driver to lose control. The van swerved into the opposite lane and crashed into an oncoming SUV.

The impact was so powerful that both vehicles overturned. The SUV was flung nearly 20 feet from the road, while the front of the school van was completely crushed. School bags, books and debris were strewn across the roadside. Locals rushed to the scene after hearing the loud crash and the children’s cries.

Villagers broke the van’s windows to rescue the trapped children and passengers. Police and emergency personnel arrived shortly afterwards and, with the help of locals, shifted all the injured to the Etawah Sub-District Hospital. Two students were declared dead on arrival. Hospital sources said many of the injured suffered fractures and head injuries and were later referred to Kota’s MBS Hospital for advanced treatment.

IANS