Case filed against driver of burnt school van

KARACHI: A case has been filed against the driver of the school van that caught fire in Orangi Town on Saturday. The case, registered under Sections 337A and 377H of the Pakistan Penal Code, both pertaining to harm caused due to rash or negligent act, was filed on Sunday on behalf of Abdur Rehman, whose child, Zain, had suffered burn injuries during the incident.

The school van, bearing registration number CS-7490, was transporting 15 children to school when it caught fire on Saturday morning due to a short circuit. The children survived due to the quick thinking of the people in the vicinity, but many suffered mild burn injuries and five were more critically injured. They were immediately taken to the hospital and discharged after treatment.

The driver, Muhammad Rasheed son of Sharduddin, surrendered himself to the police later on Saturday. A case was filed against him at Orangi Town police station. The police said that the LPG and CNG cylinders fitted in the van had remained intact despite the fire. The LPG cylinder was placed unprotected near the driving seat and could have caused a serious accident had it exploded in the fire. The CNG cylinder was also incriminating as there is a city-wide ban on the use of CNG cylinders in school vans, according to Traffic DIG Javed Mehar. The incident is being investigated.

Source: The Express Tribune