12 injured after school van catches fire in Murree

Twelve people, including ten schoolchildren, were injured when a school van caught fire near Murree's Bara Hotar Link Road on Tuesday, according to the Murree police. The Suzuki Bolan transporting the children veered off the road and broke into flames. Emergency services swiftly responded to the scene, rescuing the children and transporting them to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

Among those injured, two adults and ten children between the ages of five and 14 received treatment for burns of varying severity. Three children suffered severe burns, with one sustaining 42 percent of their body covered in burns, while two others had burns covering 38 percent and 26 percent of their bodies, respectively. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, and authorities have pledged to take necessary legal action.

Murree District Police Officer Raza Tanveer Sipra visited the hospital to check on the injured children, expressing the commitment to ensure their medical care and treatment. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has requested a report on the incident, focusing on issues like vehicle overloading and inadequate fire safety measures.

This incident echoes similar accidents where school vans have caught fire, resulting in injuries to students. In previous years, eight students were injured in Karachi, a schoolgirl was killed and six others injured in Okara, and two teenage sisters died from burns in Karachi.