Ryan International School bus catches fire on Delhi-Meerut Road, govt to probe

A school bus belonging to Ryan International School in Ghaziabad caught fire on the Delhi-Meerut Road. The driver escaped, but no students were on board. The fire was caused by a leak in the CNG kit installed in the bus. Transport officials will investigate the incident and have a list of 90 unfit school buses.

A school bus belonging to Ryan International School, Dasna, Ghaziabad, was charred within minutes after it caught fire on the Dehi-Meerut Road on Monday afternoon, police officers aware of the matter said, adding that the driver barely escaped with his life while there were no students on board. Transport department officials said they will investigate the incident, and a team will be sent to the school shortly.

The district fire department received a call at 12.50pm about a burning school bus and dispatched two fire tenders to the scene. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The district fire department received a call at 12.50pm about a burning school bus and dispatched two fire tenders to the scene. “Within 30-40 minutes, the two fire tenders and our personnel had completely extinguished the fire. The bus driver said there was a leak in the CNG kit installed in the bus, and the bus was engulfed in flames within minutes. This could have been fatal if students were on board,” said Rahul Pal, chief fire officer.

Anju Sharma, the school’s principal, neither responded to messages asking where the bus was going when it caught fire nor calls.

Transport officials said the school bus had a fitness certificate, and the fire was caused due to an issue in the on-board CNG kit.

“The bus involved in the fire incident had a proper fitness certificate and was compliant with norms, but there was an issue with the CNG system, which caused it to catch fire. If there had been students on board, it would almost certainly have resulted in a major incident,” said Rahul Srivastava, additional regional transport officer.

He said a team would soon be sent to the school to inquire about its buses and the fire incident.

The two fire tenders and firefighters had completely extinguished the fire within 30-40 minutes. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Members of the parents’ association expressed concerns about the incident.

“The bus driver jumped out in time to save himself, and the bus caught fire. It is a wake-up call for such schools because a major incident would have occurred if the children had been on the bus. Regarding issues involving private schools, the authorities appear to be acting laxly. Many buses are operating without proper fitness, and many such incidents have occurred in the past and recently,” said Vivek Tyagi, spokesperson for the Ghaziabad Parents’ Association.

Regional transportation officials said they have a list of 90 school buses that are unfit for use. “The schools that own these 90 buses have assured us that they will not operate such vehicles until the fitness is completed,” Srivastava added.

On July 11, a bus painted yellow and marked “on school duty” was driven on the wrong side on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway for 7.2km before colliding with an SUV coming from Meerut. Six passengers were killed in the incident.

On August 18, a school bus overturned in Loni’s Tronica City, injuring at least seven people, including the driver, conductor, and five students.