{"id":61064,"date":"2021-04-04T13:47:44","date_gmt":"2021-04-04T13:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=61064"},"modified":"2021-04-04T13:47:44","modified_gmt":"2021-04-04T13:47:44","slug":"five-year-old-boy-left-on-school-bus-found-walking-alone-10km-from-home-by-peta-doherty-share","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/five-year-old-boy-left-on-school-bus-found-walking-alone-10km-from-home-by-peta-doherty-share\/","title":{"rendered":"Five-year-old boy left on school bus found walking alone 10km from home-BY PETA DOHERTY"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Five-year-old boy left on school bus found walking alone 10km from home-<\/strong><\/span>BY PETA DOHERTY<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Coober Pedy Area School. Source: Supplied to SBS News<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:<\/span><\/strong>SBS<\/a><\/p>\n

Exclusive: The parents of Thinula Rayon Hettiarachchi, who was spotted walking towards a major highway in Coober Pedy, South Australia, are demanding answers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The parents of a five-year-old boy who was left behind on a Coober Pedy school bus last week say better procedures are needed to safeguard against potential tragedies.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The family said the driver of the Coober Pedy Area School bus that Thinula Rayon Hettiarachchi got on last Wednesday afternoon failed to drop him at home. He was then left inside the vehicle after it was parked up at the end of the school round.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinula was found walking alone on the side of a dirt road heading towards the Stuart Highway later that day, more than 10 kilometres from his home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy child opened the [bus] door and walked one kilometre to find us, heading towards the Stuart Highway,\u201d the boy\u2019s father Gayan Indunil Hettiarachchi told SBS News.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

The child was found walking alone more than 10km from home.<\/span><\/div>\n
Supplied to SBS News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t believe it. We never expected anything like this to happen,\u201d the boy\u2019s mother Chintha Rohini Sinhapurage said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The couple, who are originally from Sri Lanka and moved to the outback mining town from Melbourne four years ago, estimated their son was walking alone for more than an hour, carrying his school backpack in the humid 32-degree heat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what was going through his mind,\u201d Ms Sinhapurage said. \u201cHe told me \u2018I cried and I got angry.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never wanted to hear that kind of thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

The boy was heading in the direction of a major highway.<\/span><\/div>\n
Supplied to SBS News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Thinula told his parents he waited on the bus for so long he wet his pants and eventually opened the door and got off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLuckily he turned left. If he turned right there are so many mine shafts we don\u2019t know what could have happened,\u201d Mr Hettiarachchi said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy main concern is they do not follow a procedure. They need to check the bus after every shift and make sure no one is left.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The incident follows the death of a\u00a0three-year-old boy who was left on a childcare bus in Cairns<\/a>\u00a0last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n