Children returning home on their school bus had to be evacuated on EM Bypass after the bus developed a snag and generated a lot of smoke.
Police and officials of The Heritage School confirmed that none of the students on the bus was injured or
trapped.
The capacity of the air-conditioned bus in which the children were travelling is around 45. However, some of them had already been dropped by the time the smoke was noticed inside the bus.
The police received a call from the driver informing them that there was a spark inside the bus and there was a lot of smoke and the children needed to be evacuated.
The cops reached the spot and helped the children get off the bus near the China Town crossing near Science City around 4pm. One fire tender was sent to the spot.
The school was informed and an alternative arrangement was made to take the children home.
“When we got the message (about the bus) we sent another bus to the spot,” said Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School.
Guardians of the students who were on the bus on route number 53 received a message from the principal saying: “Route No. 53 on Park Circus Road had to be stopped and children had to be alighted from the bus as thick smoke was coming out of the bus due to a cracked turbo. No one was hurt. Another bus was sent immediately to pick up the children and were dropped safely to their homes.”
A school official said the fleet of buses was almost new. The maximum age of the buses was two or three years.
The police said they learned that the school had outsourced the bus service to a private company.
The police and the fire department are yet to ascertain the reason behind the smoke inside the bus.