A deeply troubling incident has raised serious child safety concerns after two toddlers were left locked inside a school bus for approximately five hours. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon (16/09), when two children attending a public kindergarten in a village in the Chania hinterland, aged 4–5 years old, were found “forgotten” inside the school bus. Police are now searching for both the driver and the escort to provide statements about the incident.
Chania: KTEL school bus escort fired — how the incident unfolded
The school bus escort employed by KTEL Chania–Rethymno was dismissed following the incident. According to zarpanews.gr, KTEL Chania–Rethymno chairman Giannis Kapsanakis confirmed the dismissal, stating that the woman was removed from her position and replaced starting the very next day. According to the chairman, the escort claimed the children had fallen asleep and that she had not noticed them.
“We were informed about the incident and can confirm it happened. The escort was removed from her position and dismissed — another person will be in her place starting tomorrow. She said the children had fallen asleep and she didn’t see them. We are truly sorry about the incident and we apologize,” he told the local news site.
“The children were wet and crying — in a tragic state”
According to complaints made by parents to zarpanews.gr, the incident — which took place in a village in the Chania region — was discovered when a mother went to bring her child lunch, as it was set to be her child’s first full school day. However, she was told by the school that her child had not arrived that day. A search immediately began, with the bus driver returning to where he had parked the vehicle shortly before 1:00 p.m., only to discover not one, but two children inside — in a devastating condition.
“The children were wet and crying — in a tragic state,” said a parent of another pupil attending the local school. According to those who came forward, the school bus had departed at 7:45 a.m. with an escort on board — both of whom were reportedly assigned to this particular route for the very first time.
Parents stated that all children from the morning route had disembarked normally at school, with the two toddlers — who were reportedly seated at the back — remaining locked inside without being noticed.
“They’re in pre-kindergarten — they might not have heard the escort. But shouldn’t the escort have checked that everyone got off? How did she even end up in that role?” one parent told zarpanews.gr, adding: “The children don’t want to get back on the bus, and neither do their parents.”
“Thank goodness it was cool because of the rain — what would have happened if it had been hot?” another parent asked.
When zarpanews.gr contacted the Chania Primary Education Directorate, officials confirmed they had been informally notified of the incident and would take all necessary action within their jurisdiction.
KTEL’s official response
KTEL Chania–Rethymno issued an official statement confirming that the school bus escort had been dismissed, as the explanations she provided were deemed unacceptable by the company’s management.
The full statement from KTEL Chania–Rethymno reads as follows:
“In light of the unexpected incident involving two minor children that occurred yesterday, 16 September 2026, aboard a school bus operated by ‘KTEL Chania Rethymno S.A.’ — which runs daily routes to specific schools in the Chania hinterland — our company wishes to state the following: From the moment ‘KTEL Chania Rethymno S.A.’ was informed of the incident, company chairman Mr. Giannis Kapsanakis immediately ordered the permanent removal of the school bus escort, not only from her duties but from ‘KTEL Chania Rethymno S.A.’ altogether.
The explanations provided by the school bus escort were not accepted by the company’s management. Beyond the outcome of her actions — which, first and foremost, endangered human lives and, secondarily, damaged the company’s reputation and credibility — her conduct directly contradicts the clear and explicit guidelines issued by ‘KTEL Chania Rethymno S.A.’ regarding the proper and, above all, safe management of students who travel daily on our buses.
We express our deepest regret over this unacceptable incident and extend our sincere apologies to the families of both children.”
