Gujrat van fire victims buried amid sobs, tears

GUJRAT: Funeral prayers for the children and a teacher, killed in Gujrat incident, have been offered while 10 bodies were buried in local graveyards amid sobs and tears.

As many as 16 children and a teacher were killed when their school bus caught fire in Mangowal area of Gujrat on Saturday (today).

Seven other children were injured in the blaze, which destroyed the vehicle.The van was carrying 24 children to a private school in Gujrat, about 112 kilometres (70 miles) north of the eastern city in Lahore, when it caught fire, DPO Dar Ali Khattak told.

The fire erupted in the vehicle when the children were only a few kilometres from their school.

The blaze was apparently caused by a spark when the driver of the dual-fuel van switched from gas to petrol.

The children were aged between five and 15 years old. A female teacher also died in the incident.

DPO Dar Ali Khatak told that investigation had been launched and all the concerned parties including vehicle fitness officials would be investigated.

Five of the injured children were in serious condition, hospital officials said.