HARBIN - A 29-year-old middle school teacher in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province was run over and lost both of her legs after pushing two students out of the way of an oncoming bus on Tuesday.

Zhang Lili, a teacher at the No 19 middle school in the city of Jiamusi, was crossing the road just outside the school's gate when a school bus suddenly came rushing toward nearby students at 8:38 pm Tuesday. Zhang pushed two students out of the way of the bus, but she herself was run over, witnesses said.

"There were three buses at the school gate ready to pick up students, but the one in the back suddenly crashed into the second bus and pushed it into the first one. There were several students standing between the first and the second buses and they were about to be crushed," said Liu Ye, a student of No. 19 middle school.

"I screamed, but I did not know what to do," Liu said.

"I saw Zhang Lili running toward the front of the second bus. She then used her bottom to push one student away and grabbed another student away from the bus, but she was hit by it," said Li Jinru, Zhang's colleague.

"It was a mess, and the bus windows were shattered and shards of glass were lying all around. We pulled Zhang from under the bus and called the ambulance," Li said.

Six people, including Zhang and five students, were injured and sent to Jiamusi Zhongxin Hospital.

The five students sustained minor injuries, but Zhang was seriously injured, suffering lumbar and pelvic fractures. She is still in a coma and her legs have to be amputated, said Cao Hongtao, head of the hospital.

A blessing card from one of Zhang Lili's students reads: "Thank you, my teacher. Take care." Zhang Lili, a 29-year-old middle school teacher in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, was run over and lost both of her legs after pushing two students out of the way of an oncoming bus. [Photo/Xinhua]