KOCHI: Around seven students of Fathima Matha UP School, Malippara at Kothamangalam had a miraculous escape on Monday from a fiery death due to the quick thinking and fast action of their van driver. The incident happened when the van was en route to the school.
According to Siji Augustine, headmaster of the school, none of the students suffered any injuries in the incident. "The driver on spying smoke coming from the front grill of the vehicle moved away from the main road and parked it in a clear spot. He then got all the seven students on board to safety quickly before the fire engulfed the entire van," said the HM. The fire was the result of a short-circuit in the wiring, added the headmaster.
"The vehicle, which has been contracted by the school, had been running for 15 minutes, picking up students from different spots before the smoke was spotted. Since this is a very remote area, it took 20 minutes for the Fire and Rescue Services Department to reach the spot. By that time the van had been entirely gutted and there was nothing much they could do," said the HM.
According to the headmaster, all the documents of the van were in order. "The school doesn't have any vehicle of its own. So, we had to get one on contract. Students studying at the school come in from remote areas and if transportation is not provided they might go to one that has such facilities," he said.