Ministry urges school safety after fatal van crash

 BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry¹ of Education on Tuesday issued a circular urging school safety after a fatal school van crash in east China's Jiangxi Province that killed 11 kindergarten students on Monday.

The ministry called on education departments at all levels to make students' safety a priority and take measures to avoid accidents.

According to the local authority, the school van carrying 15 kindergartners and one teacher plunged² into a roadside pond around 9 a.m. in a rural area of Guixi City, which is located in the city of Yingtan.

Three children died instantly. Another eight died at a local hospital after efforts to save them failed.

Four other children were injured and are in stable condition, the local authority said.

The authority also disclosed a list of casualties.

The latest investigation³ results show that the children, aged⁴ 4 to 6, were students of a privately-run kindergarten. The school's principal, 35-year-old Zhou Chun'e, was driving the van.

Police said Zhou overloaded⁵ the vehicle, which had a designed seating capacity of seven, and "drove improperly," causing the accident.

According to the ministry circular, recent school attacks and accidents which have caused students' injuries and deaths have shocked people.

On Dec. 14, 23 school children and a villager were injured in a knife attack in central China's Henan Province.

On Dec. 19, a female junior high school student in northwest China's Shaanxi Province was kidnapped outside a campus and raped⁶ by different men.

The ministry called for more cooperation with relevant organs, such as the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Transport, to scrutinize⁷ roads and forbid disqualified vehicles to carry students.

The ministry stressed the need to increase the number of guards at schools and that they should be better trained.

Also, schools should stop burning coals for heat in order to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and children should be kept away from iced lakes.

Safety training for students should be carried out in accordance with local conditions, especially during the Spring Festival holiday when people like to skate and light fireworks, the ministry said.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

6 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

7 scrutinize   

n.详细检查，细读

参考例句：

• Her purpose was to scrutinize his features to see if he was an honest man.她的目的是通过仔细观察他的相貌以判断他是否诚实。
• She leaned forward to scrutinize their faces.她探身向前，端详他们的面容。