President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov stated that the local authorities were to blame for the truck running over children in the Suzak district of the Jalal-Abad region. During a speech on a working trip to Osh on May 6, the head of state noted that the incident occurred due to the incompetence of the district-level leaders, as reported by "Azattyk".
"There were 13 police officers and the chief of the district's police department. They should have ensured safety. If they had competent staff, they could have prevented what happened. The vehicles should have been driven down, not parked above the area with children," the President said.
The tragedy unfolded during a competition of young manaschi (epic storytellers) in the village of Zherge-Tal in the Suzak district of the Jalal-Abad region. The event took place on a dzhailoo (traditional gathering). Schoolchildren were reciting excerpts from the epic "Manas" when a Porter truck crashed into the gathering. 34 people were injured.
The driver was arrested, and a criminal case was initiated under Article 312 (violation of traffic safety rules and operation of vehicles) of the Criminal Code of Kyrgyzstan.
Following the incident, the chief of the Suzak district police department, his deputy, and the head of the October territorial police department were dismissed.
The Ministry of Education and Science canceled all mass events involving schoolchildren "for safety reasons."
