Thirty students of Class 1to 8 had a narrow escape when their school bus suddenly caught fire near the government dispensary in Sabarmati at about 9 am on Friday .Fire department personnel, who rushed to the spot, said the schoolchildren were lucky that they were able to get off the bus in time.
“Their schoolbags and even the registration papers of the bus were reduced to ashes. We have sought a forensic opinion on the reasons for the bus fire. Primarily , it seems, a short circuit was the reason,“ said a senior official of the fire department.
On learning about the fire, parents of the schoolchildren also rushed to the spot. The children looked shocked after the incident.
Sources in the police said Vijaysinh Bhati, 28, a resident of Hathijan in Vatva used to work as a driver for Jayeshkumar Gordi. Bhati had been driving the mini bus for the last six months.
Sources in the police said the bus was hired by Tapovan Sanskarpith School at Amiyapur in Gandhinagar to bring students to the school.
“It was routine work for Bhati and his employer who also accompanies him daily in the bus. They started from near GB Shah College in Vasna with about 30 students. When they were passing by the government dispensary in Sabarmati, Bhati saw some smoke coming out from the front of the bus,“ said a police official.
Bhati stopped the bus by the roadside. Both he and Gordi then took all the schoolchildren out of the bus. Just as they finished taking out all the kids, the bus suddenly caught fire and was soon in flames. Fire department and police officials rushed to the spot as some passersby informed the police control room about the incident.
“The school bags of the children along with the bus was reduced to ashes,“ said a senior police official.
“We have asked for a copy of the registration papers of the bus as the original were burnt in the bus. We are also verifying whether any fire safety equipment was installed in the vehicle or not,“ the police official said.
Source – Times of India – Ahmedabad – 17th Dec 2016
