May 09 (Japan Times) - Two children died and 13 people were injured Wednesday morning after one of two vehicles that collided hit a group of pedestrians from a nursery school in the city of Otsu in Shiga Prefecture.
The group of children, aged between 2 and 3, were taking a walk from the nursery school when the incident occurred, Shiga Prefectural Police said.
Gaku Ito, a 2-year-old boy, and Yui Harada, a 2-year-old girl, died, while 11 other children and two teachers who were with them were injured. Of the 11 children taken to the hospital, two were in critical condition but later regained consciousness, the police said. The two teachers were also taken to the hospital.
Two female drivers — Fumiko Shintate, 52, and Michiko Shimoyama, 62 — were arrested at the scene. The crash occurred at around 10:15 a.m. at a crossing in a residential area in Otsu. One of the vehicles spun into the children as they were waiting for the traffic light to change.
According to police, a car driven by Shintate was making a right turn when it collided with the minivehicle driven by Shimoyama coming from the opposite direction, which then hit the group of children.
The crossing is 200 meters away from the Leimond Nursery School attended by the children. According to local residents, preschoolers and their teachers are frequently seen taking walks in the area. There is a lot of traffic on the road near the area, they said.
Source: ANNnewsCH
