School cab fitted with LPG catches fire

Timely intervention by a poll car driver has saved the lives of 10 children, who were on their way to a nursery school at Shyamsunderpur in East Midnapore on Thursday morning. The driver first spotted the smoke billowing out of the vehicle’s engine. He immediately stopped it and took the children away from the car. The vehicle caught fire as soon as they came out from it.    

A fire tender was pressed into service to douse the flame. The incident created panic among the parents. Police said investigation had revealed that the car was fitted with LPG cylinder which caught fire. Police said people install LPG cylinders illegally in their vehicles from local garages. 

The cylinder often catches fire due to jerk. The officers said that they would take up the matter with RTA. “Since this is the first incident of its kind, we will take it up with district administration and should ask them to set up norms for installation of CNG in vehicles,” the officer said.