Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
As many as 35 school students had a narrow escape from an untoward incident after a private school bus proceeding from Ghatnandhra to Bharadi near Amthana village in Sillod tehsil caught fire due to a short circuit on Wednesday early morning. The bus was completely burned. Their school bags were also burned to ashes in the fire accident.
According to details, on Wednesday morning, as usual, a school bus (number unknown) from Ghatnandhra was transporting 35 children toward Swami Vivekananda School in Bharadi via Deedgaon and Palshi when the incident occurred. At around 7.30 am, near the Shreenath Krushi Seva Kendra close to Amthana village, wires inside the bus caught fire due to a short circuit, and smoke began to emerge.
The driver and owner, Janardhan Kakade (of Wangi Budruk), stopped the vehicle immediately. Two teachers then evacuated all the children from the bus. However, in the rush, the children’s school bags were left behind in the bus. After this, the fire spread, and the bus was completely burned. Tragically, the children’s school bags were also destroyed in the fire. Fortunately, no human lives were lost. Meanwhile, a farmer tried to extinguish the fire by drawing water from a well using a pipe, but by then, it was too late. No complaint had been filed in the matter, therefore, the rural police station had not registered the incident until late at night.
All children are safe
The headmistress of Swami Vivekananda School (Bharadi) Sunita Devare said, “All the children are safe. This unfortunate fire incident happened suddenly. Upon suspecting a fire, the teachers evacuated all the students from the bus, ensuring no one was injured. Fortunately, a major loss of life was avoided. Hence parents need not worry about this."