4 students in Punjab burnt alive after school van catches fire

Chandigarh, Feb 15: In a tragic incident four children were killed in Longowal town in Sangrur district, Punjab on Saturday, after a school bus with twelve students onboard caught fire. The incident took place when the children were returning from school, the police said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

According to the police, rest of the eight children among the twelve were rescued by the people working in nearby fields.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

The students killed in the incident were in the age group of 10-12 year-old.

The intitial probe by the police confirmed that the driver tried to open the doors of the bus after it caught fire but failed.

The Punjab CM took on to Twitter and wrote, "Very sad to learn of the news from Sangrur, where we lost 4 children because their school van caught fire. Injured have been rushed to the hospital. DC & SSP Sangrur are on the spot & I have ordered a magisterial enquiry. Guilty will be strictly punished."

Very sad to learn of the news from Sangrur, where we lost 4 children because their school van caught fire. Injured have been rushed to the hospital. DC & SSP Sangrur are on the spot & I have ordered a magisterial enquiry. Guilty will be strictly punished.

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 15, 2020

The Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said a police team has been sent to the accident spot.