A day that should have been one of celebration and culture turned into tragedy when a driverless ice cream truck ran over nearly 30 children participating in an open-air school cultural parade in a village in the Suzak district of Kyrgyzstan.
The accident left 29 people injured, 18 of whom were hospitalized, with seven of them in critical condition.
The incident occurred at a festival dedicated to Manas Epic, a legendary poem of great cultural significance in the country.
The images, filmed from various angles, show a crowd of people, many of them children dressed up for the occasion, enjoying the event, where most of the people were distracted and with their backs to the slope.
In the videos circulating on social networks you can see how suddenly the truck, which was being used by an ice cream seller, appears at the top of a hill and begins to roll downhill uncontrollably.
Both the driver and the security officers tried to run towards the truck, but it was too late.
The minors, dressed in traditional attire and soldier costumes, were the most affected by the accident.
Videos and drones captured the moment when the van gained speed, reaching up to 50 kilometers per hour, while it approached dangerously close to the children and other attendees.
The truck ran over a line of horses and then a group of people who failed to get out of the way in time. Screams of terror filled the air as the vehicle continued its deadly journey, running over another group of children sitting on the ground.
The truck eventually stopped after hitting a canopy. Heartbreaking images show children injured and scattered on the grass, as ambulances arrived at the scene to offer assistance.
The authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the accident and determine responsibility.
Source: Agencies
