The children were on their way to the Cantonment School at Wellington, 20 km from Udhagamandalam.
As many as 22 primary school children today escaped with minor injuries as an alert driver of the van which they were travelling in drove the vehicle into a heap of sand to avoid plunging into a 500-feet deep gorge.
The children, studying in class I to III, were on their way to the Cantonment School at Wellington about 20 km from Udhagamandalam when the van developed brake failure near Kalpuli, police said.
Showing presence of mind despite losing control of the van, 38-year-old Vicent brought it to a halt by steering it into a heap of sand on the other side of the road.
Had he not brought it to a halt, the van could have skidded down the gorge resulting in a major mishap, they said.
However the van turned sideways and the students and the driver suffered injuries, they added.
The injured have been shifted to the Cantonment Hospital and Government Lawley hospital, police said.