A 9th class student who suffered critical burns while rescuing other students from a school van that caught fire in Murree has died one day after the incident.
Ayesha Kaleem, 14, suffered more than 45 percent burns after the van veered off the road, rolled down a slope and caught fire on Tuesday. She was taken to Holy Family Hospital (HFH) in Rawalpindi for treatment but died on Wednesday and was later buried in a local graveyard in Murree.
Ayesha was among four students who suffered severe burns in the incident and were shifted to HFH from Tehsil Headquarters Hospital (THQ) Murree for treatment.
The three other students under treatment at HFH are Arham Ali, 8, who suffered 60 percent burns, Abdullah Kaleem, 11, who sustained five percent burns and Hassan Talib, 8, who suffered 26 percent burns.
Police said that the van was carrying 12 schoolchildren when it veered off the road, rolled down and caught fire. Seven injured children received treatment at THQ Hospital Murree before being allowed to return home, while one remained there. Four were referred to HFH.
A committee led by the Assistant Commissioner (AC) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Murree has been formed to determine the cause of the fire.
District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Mohammad Raza Tanveer said that the committee will submit its report within 48 hours.
Quoting the children, the DPO said that they heard a sound of an explosion before the van caught fire. He added that the actual cause will be determined after the committee submits its report.
Police have also registered an FIR [First Information Report] over the incident. The van driver and his daughter were among those injured.
Meanwhile, Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Murree Munir Ahmed Hashmi urged parents to take extra care when selecting vehicles for their children’s school transport.
Hashmi said that some parents choose vehicles with lower charges even though they do not meet the required safety standards. He warned against using pickups, carry vans and other unsuitable vehicles that carry more children than their designated capacity.
He urged parents to select a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) that is fit, safe and meets legal requirements for school transport.
The CTO also advised parents to check the vehicle’s fitness, driver’s licence, legal status, passenger capacity and other safety arrangements before allowing their children to travel in it.
He asked school administrations to use only safe, fit and legally approved vehicles for student pick and drop and prevent overloading.
“Prioritise the safety of your children, not money. If children are safe, our future will be safe,” the CTO said.
