Goa Carnival cancelled after school bus plunges into river

Panaji: In the wake of a road mishap in which eight people were killed, Goa has called off the customary Carnival parade to be held in Panaji today and is taking a call on the similar performances to be held in other cities, an official said. “The government has decided to call off the scheduled float parade in Panaji, which was slated to happen within few hours of the accident that killed eight people, including five school students,” the official said.[caption id=“attachment_217816” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“A similar incident happened when a school bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a canal at Bodeli village, about 170 km from Ahmedabad on 16 April 2008. This accident claimed the lives of 44 school children and three adults. Reuters”]  [/caption] Five children were among eight persons killed when a school bus plunged into the Kalvi River at Aldona village, 30 kms from the state capital. The processions are organised in major cities, including Margao, Ponda, Vasco and Mapusa as part of the annual Carnival. The carnival is celebrated in the coastal state for three days and nights, when the legendary King Momo takes over the state and the streets come alive with music and colour. Huge parades are organised throughout the state with bands, dances and floats out all night on the streets, and grand balls held in the evenings. The state government had made all preparations for the gala event and thousands of revellers had actually thronged historic DB Bandodkar road to see the parade. On the processions to be held in other cities, tourism director Swapnil Naik said a high-level meeting has been convened tonight to take a final call on the issue. The parades are scheduled to be held at Margao, one of the prominent tourist hub, tomorrow and in Ponda and Vasco on 20 February and on 21 February in Mapusa. On an average, 30,000 revellers comprising locals and tourists participate in the annual event. PTI