Girl falls off van and is hit by mini-bus

A Yugoslav state school student was badly injured yesterday after falling out of the back door of a school van in Tal-Qroqq and being run over by a mini-bus, the police said.

The police at first said the girl, 14, was critical but later in the day the Ministry of Education said she was out of danger and announced it had set up a board of inquiry to look into the incident.

Police sources said the driver of the mini-bus which hit the girl drove away from the scene but was traced moments later by the police and taken on the site of the accident.

The accident occurred in Mikiel Anton Vassalli Road, near the national pool, at about 3 p.m.

The education ministry said the girl is a student at Sir Luigi Preziosi secondary school, in St Andrew's.

The board of inquiry will investigate which contractor was responsible for providing the transport service and whether he respected contractual conditions laid down in an agreement with transport providers last year. No further details were given.

The minister would be following "with interest" the magisterial inquiry "with regard to the criminal responsibilities of those involved", the ministry said.

Education Minister Louis Galea and the head of school visited the student in hospital and were informed that although seriously injured she was not on the danger list.

The minister also met her parents and assured them of the government's full support.