China’s Premier Vows Improved School Safety

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has pledged more support for school safety following the crash of a bus earlier this month that killed 19 children.

Wen told a conference in Beijing on Sunday that all types of harm to children must be avoided. He said a special emphasis should be placed on boosting school security, eliminating fire hazards, and improving school bus safety. Wen’s comments were posted on the official government website.

Earlier this month, a nine-seat private school van packed with 62 children and two adults crashed head-on with a truck in northwest Gansu province. Their teacher and the driver died along with 19 children, who were between 3 and 5 years old. All 43 surviving children were injured.