It is imperative that all vehicles are road-worthy and secure so as to avoid accidents. The following incident serves as a tragic reminder that illegal and unsafe vehicles have no place on the road, especially when plying children.
According to NDTV, on February 15, a school van carrying 12 students in Punjab’s Sangrur district caught fire on the Longowal-Sidsamachar road. While 8 were rescued and taken home, 4 lost their lives in the tragedy.
Deeply grieved to learn about the tragic deaths of four children as their school van catches fire near Longowal in Punjab.
My thoughts are with the bereaved families & prayers with the injured ones to recover soon. I urge Punjab govt to extend all possible help to them. pic.twitter.com/RuvMcBzHa1— Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) February 15, 2020
India Today reports that the 22-year-old van was fitted with an LPG cylinder and purchased from a junkyard dealer. Deputy Commissioner Sangrur Ghanshyam Thori was quoted saying,
“Police have registered a criminal case against the van driver, school principal, and the management under section 304 of IPC.”
According to Business Standard, 14-year-old Amandeep Kaur who was in the same vehicle managed to escape and also save 4 kids from the burning van. Sangrur DC has recommended her name for a bravery award by CM Capt Amarinder Singh.
I salute the extraordinary bravery & valour of 14 year old Amandeep Kaur who risked her life to put out the fire in the school van yesterday and also rescued 4 children from the van. I am so proud of you and I am looking forward to meeting you. pic.twitter.com/tOuGgqyK3N
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 16, 2020
The Indian Express quoted the braveheart saying,
“As soon as the van started off, I told the sir (teacher-cum-driver Dalbir Singh) that some smell was coming from the van.. but sir started driving it. I repeated again that smell was increasing, but he started looking here and there, and then at minor kids sitting close to him. Later, the fire was visible and we were forced to come out by breaking the windows of the van.”
She further added,
“I broke one window and moved out. I then helped four children come out. There were others too who had come to help. I ran towards the school building with those four kids who were crying bitterly.”
The Transport Department has launched a state wide drive of inspecting the condition and road worthiness of all school vans and buses. DCs are closely monitoring this drive. The safety of our children is paramount and we will take all necessary steps in this regard. pic.twitter.com/LIYDHGESk8
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 17, 2020
In the wake of the tragic fire, Punjab police, as well as civil administration officials, have checked 950 school vans/buses across the state. 270 of them were challaned and 120 impounded due to safety concerns.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and loved ones.