Close shave for school kids as bus catches fire in Palwal

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Palwal, April 11

A group of students had a close shave after a bus carrying them caught fire while on way to school here today. Though the bus was gutted, no one sustained burns or injuries.

The incident took place around 6.35 am when the bus, with six students in the 6-8 years age group on board, caught fire near the City police station adjoining the Old GT road here.

The conductor took all the children out before the fire engulfed the vehicle. The blaze was doused in about 30 minutes by a fire tender. Though the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, sources claimed a short-circuit in the electrical system could have caused it.

The driver said the bus caught fire after smoke started coming out of the engine. As soon as the children were evacuated, the conductor and driver called the Fire Department as they could not extinguish the blaze on their own. The Fire Department had to send a second fire tender to the spot as the first one failed to function owing to a technical problem.

The driver claimed the bus, which was owned by a local resident, had been hired by parents as the school had no transport facility of its own.

Harish, a local shopkeeper, said the bus caught fire near his shop. He said the fire also damaged the signboard of his shop.

Raising a doubt over the fitness of the bus, sources in the Fire Department said its insurance had expired on June 22, 2022. “There is no check on the fitness of the majority of school buses in the city and the district,” claimed Raj Kumar, a resident.

Lekh Ram, in-charge, Fire Department here, said fire tenders were rushed as soon as they received information. He said a short-circuit in the engine of the bus is reported to have caused the fire.

With no complaint received so far, no FIR has been registered in the case, said the PRO.

‘Warning sign for parents’

Palwal: Parents were a worried lot after the news of a schoolbus catching fire in Palwal broke. “I rushed to the spot to find out if my daughter, who travels to school on a bus, was safe,” said Ravi, a local resident. “Though my daughter was not on the bus that caught fire, I may have to rethink my decision of using this mode of transport for her. The incident is a warning sign for parents,” said Vipin Kumar, a resident. Demanding a fitness check of all schoolbuses and vans, Kailash Sharma of the Abhibhawak Ekta Manch said the incident should be treated as eye-opener. He said the issue of school transport safety deserved to be taken very seriously. TNS

Technical snag in fire tender

• Six students, in the 6-8 years age group, were on board when the schoolbus caught fire
• It is reported that the Fire Department had to send another tender at the spot as the first one failed to function owing to a technical problem