School bus catches fire, 29 kids rescued

Quick thinking on part of the bus driver and residents saved the lives of 29 students of SVPM School in Thane after the mini-bus carrying them home caught fire on Tuesday.

The incident took place at Dattawadi in Kalwa around 12.30 pm.

According to police, the bus, hired by parents, was on its return trip to drop students aged between 11-13 years at Vastuanand Housing Complex and its neighbouring areas in Kharegaon.

“I saw smoke coming out from the engine of the bus and I rushed to it,’ said Uttam Mishra, a resident of the area.

Vinod Lase, a social worker from Kharegaon, also saw the bus on fire and joined Mishra and bus driver Pravin Kambli in taking the students out. The locals extinguished the fire before two fire engines arrived on the scene.

The students, who knew about a similar mishap in Panvel a month ago, were so shaken after the incident that they could not speak for some time.

“Though the exact reason of the fire is yet to be known, the preliminary reports indicate that the faulty wiring might be the reason,” senior inspector VB Desai said. Police later arrested the bus driver.

The school authorities said it was the parents’ responsibility to ensure safety of their children.

Meanwhile, Sudhir Dabhade, deputy commissioner of police, has ordered thorough inspection of all the vehicles ferrying schoolchildren in Thane.