As per the Punjab Police, eight children were safely rescued by people working in nearby fields, however, the fire claimed the lives of four children in the age group of 10 to 12 years. The accident took place on the Longowal-Sidsamachar road in Sangrur.
When the van caught fire, the children were returning home from school. However, the reason for the fire in the school van could not be determined. At the time of the incident, a total of 12 students were inside the van.
As soon as the driver blew fire alarm, eight children were rescued by the locals, who were working in the nearby fields, rushed to the spot and broke window panes to get the students out.
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Unfortunately, four out of 12 children were burnt alive since one of the doors of the van got jammed. Two out of the four deceased children belonged to a single-family.
As per the reports, the school administration had purchased this van last night and had the capacity to carry only 8 children at once.