A major disaster was averted on September 21, when a CNG school van carrying children caught fire right outside the Ashiana Greens society in Indirapuram. The Maruti OMNI, bearing the registration number UP14 AJ 0311, was leaving the society after picking up the schoolchildren.
According to sources, the driver fled the spot, leaving five children inside the van when the fire broke out. Residents of the society informed the local police, who took control of the situation.
People in the area, along with security guards, managed to rescue the children from the burning van. "Thankfully, the children were rescued unscathed from the van," said Kanchan Debnath, general secretary of Ashiana Greens.
Sub-inspector Prem Singh, in charge of the Kanauni police post, told City Spidey that the van, which belonged to a private school, caught fire due to a short circuit when it jolted on a speed breaker. "All the children were rescued, but the driver is absconding," added Singh.
