9 children sustain burn injuries as vehicle catches fire

According to the police,at 8 am the van carrying the children to Yashoda Inter College in Mohammadpur Pagwar halted at Naseerpur village to pick up two students. As soon as driver Subhan re-started the engine he spotted sparking in the engine and jumped out of the vehicle.

Soon,the entire vehicle caught fire. The police later said that though the van was fitted with a CNG kit,it was filled with LPG. Residents rushed the children to the hospital as they came out of the vehicle.

“We came to know that due to the brave effort by Om Prakash,who managed to open the rear door,the other children could come out of the vehicle,” said Prakash D,Deputy Inspector General of Azamgarh.

The district administration has decided to recommend the name of 12-year-old Om Prakash for bravery award. Om Prakash,meanwhile,was referred to Varanasi after his condition got critical with 40 per cent burn injuries.

The police are searching for the driver,who is absconding.

An FIR has been lodged against the driver and school manager Raj Kumar Maurya under section 285 (Negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) and 326 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC on the complaint filed by one Jeenak Ram.