School van catches fire, students safe

LUCKNOW - A school van in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district caught fire, but the students trapped inside were rescued by the timely intervention of the driver and locals, police said Saturday.

The incident took place Saturday afternoon near Beri area, some 150 km from Lucknow, when the van of Kendriya Vidyalaya carrying 17 students caught fire, probably due to an electrical short-circuit, police said.

“As the driver noticed the fire, he quickly stopped the vehicle and raised an alarm,” Inspector S.K. Singh told reporters in Shahjahanpur.

“By the time the locals arrived at the accident site, the driver had managed to take three-four students out of the vehicle. While a few students jumped out safely from the vehicle, others were rescued by the locals. A major tragedy was averted due to the alertness of the driver and locals,” he added.

“It appears the fire occurred due to a short-circuit. But confirmation can be done only after an inquiry,” Singh said.