Video shows moment when school bus with 12 students falls into ditch before being ‘swallowed’ by water in SC | Santa Catarina

Video shows moment when school bus gets stuck in flood current in SC

A video taken from inside the bus “swallowed” by water in Capinzal, in the west of Santa Catarina, shows the moment the vehicle falls into a ditch before being evacuated. The driver managed to get the 12 children out through the emergency exit on the roof, and no one was hurtaccording to the city hall.

The bus tries to pass through the flooded area and, according to the images, only stops when it falls into the ditch (watch above).

One of the students who was in the vehicle, Rubia Sofia Rosa, 14 years old, told NSC TV the street filled up very quickly. The students were between 12 and 15 years old.

“The driver tried to pass and, when he saw it, the bus fell into the ditch and ended up upside down. And we tried to call emergency services, but we couldn’t. He broke the window, but we knew he wouldn’t be able to get out through the window because he was going to fall into the water. Then he thought about getting out through the ceiling”, he commented.

Initially, the municipality informed g1 that the students were removed through a window. The driver, Leomar Ribas, then explained that he had to use the emergency exit on the vehicle’s roof. To reach the surface, they jumped into a ravine on the side of the road.

Video shows school bus being ‘swallowed’ by water during flooding in SC

The case occurred on Thursday afternoon (2), on the way to drop students off at home.

The driver said he was surprised by the flood. “A bridge escaped, dammed the water and threw it into the street. It hit the bus quickly, a matter of seconds, which didn’t give the bus time… The only thing was to stop. It was no longer possible to go back either”, he reported. Ribas.

School bus driver tells how he took students out of the vehicle amid floods in SC

He said he took several courses on emergency situations and first aid, which helped him decide what to do at the time.

“What remained was the emergency exit on the roof, where I found a safe place to jump dry. I jumped. The students were leaving, I picked them up one by one, leaving safely, thank God, and everything went well”, declared.

After getting off the bus, the group looked for the nearest neighbor to report what happened and ask for help.

According to the municipality’s Education Secretary, Veranice Lovatel, the photo showing the partially submerged bus was taken about two hours after the students were removed, when the water had already risen. The children were safely removed, she said.