RAWALPINDI: A 9th class girl student, who sustained critical burn injuries while rescuing other students when their school van veered off the road and caught fire in Murree on Tuesday, died at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on Wednesday.
Ayesha Kaleem, 14, had sustained over 45pc burns while rescuing other students trapped in the van which was engulfed in flames after it veered off the road on Tuesday. She was laid to rest in a local graveyard in Murree amid moving scenes.
Ayesha was among the four burn victims who suffered severe burn injuries and was shifted to the Holy Family Hospital from Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Murree due to their critical condition.
The remaining three critically-burnt victims are Arham Ali, 8, who sustained 60pc burns, Abdullah Kaleem,11, who suffered 5pc burn injuries and Hassan Talib, 8, who received 26pc burns. They are under treatment at the HFH.
According to the police, the school van carrying 12 schoolchildren veered off the road, rolled down and caught fire. Of the 12 people injured, seven were allowed to go home after being treated at the THQ Hospital Murree, one was retained while four were referred to the HFH Rawalpindi.
The deputy commissioner has constituted a committee led by AC and DSP Murree to ascertain the cause of fire in the school van.
When contacted, District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Mohammad Raza Tanveer told that a committee had been constituted to ascertain the cause of the incident which will submit its report within 48 hours.
Quoting the children, the DPO said they heard a sound of an explosion after which the van caught fire. However, the real cause of the incident will be known after the special committee submits its report, he added.
An FIR of the incident has been registered with the police. The van driver and his daughter are also among the injured.
On the other hand, Chief Traffic Officer Murree Munir Ahmed Hashmi has appealed to parents across the country to exercise special caution in choosing a vehicle for their children’s school pick and drop and not to put their precious lives at risk for the sake of minor financial savings.
The chief traffic officer said sometimes parents, due to low charges, choose vehicles for their children that do not meet the prescribed safety standards. He said it is extremely dangerous to allow children to travel in pickups, carry vans or other unsuitable vehicles that are overloaded and exceed their capacity as this can lead to a major accident at any time.
He appealed to parents to choose a PSV vehicle that is fit, safe and meets legal requirements for transporting their children to school and under no circumstances should their children travel in a vehicle that carries students more than its designated capacity.
Chief Traffic Officer Murree Munir Ahmed Hashmi said parents should check the vehicle’s fitness, driver’s licence, legal status, designated passenger capacity and other safety arrangements before sending their children to school.
He also appealed to the school administration to ensure the use of only safe, fit and legally approved vehicles while arranging pick and drop for students and not to allow overloading in any case.
The City Traffic Police, Murree, has sent a clear message to parents, school administrations and transporters that the safety of children is a collective responsibility and any negligence or carelessness in this regard is unacceptable.
“Prioritise the safety of your children, not money. If children are safe, our future will be safe,” the CTO said.
