Eleven schoolchildren were injured, three of them seriously, when their school van veered off a road in Murree and caught fire on Tuesday morning, police and rescue officials said.
The van, a Suzuki Bolan, went off the Bara Hotar Link Road and burst into flames, Dawn reported. The children on board were between 4 and 14 years old.
The injured
Of the 11 children in the van, nine suffered burns of varying degrees, while two escaped unhurt. Three of the injured children suffered severe burns, covering 42 per cent, 38 per cent and 26 per cent of their bodies.
Murree police said the condition of the injured children was stable. Some of them were referred to other hospitals for further treatment.
Rescue 1122 teams rushed to the site and pulled the children out of the vehicle before taking them to hospital.
What caused the fire
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Police said an investigation was under way and that they “will take necessary legal action”.
The Suzuki Bolan is a small, high-roofed van that is widely used across Pakistan to carry schoolchildren. Police have not said whether a gas cylinder, mechanical fault or the crash itself caused the fire, and they have not said whether the driver has been questioned.
Police chief visits hospital
Murree District Police Officer (DPO) Raza Tanveer Sipra visited the hospital to check on the children.
“We are maintaining constant contact regarding the provision of the best possible medical care for the injured children and the treatment of those who have been referred,” he said.
Not the first incident this year
The fire is not the first involving a school vehicle in 2026. Dawn noted that similar incidents had taken place earlier this year involving school vehicles in Karachi and Okara.
Murree district
Murree, a hill station north of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, is one of Punjab’s best-known tourist destinations and became a separate district in 2022. Its narrow, winding mountain roads are used every day by schoolchildren, residents and visitors alike.
What parents can do
Parents who rely on private vans for the school run can ask a few simple questions: whether the van is registered and has a valid fitness certificate, whether any gas cylinder is fitted in the passenger area, and whether the driver keeps to a safe number of children. Schools can also require the vans they work with to meet basic safety checks.
Why it matters
For thousands of families in Punjab, a van is the only practical way to get their children to school. Tuesday’s fire in Murree, which left three children with serious burns, is a reminder that the safety of these vehicles is too often left to chance. The findings of the police investigation will show whether the fire could have been prevented, and whether anyone will be held responsible.
Schoolchildren in the region have had a difficult week. Elsewhere in Rawalpindi division, in Attock district, 41 government schools have been closed for eight days because they are being used to house police deployed ahead of a planned PTI march.
This article draws on reporting by Dawn.
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