Moment school bus EXPLODES after bursting into flames as pupils say they ‘could have died’
THIS is the moment a school bus exploded after bursting into flames on a motorway.
Emergency services raced to the scene today after the alarm was raised over the vehicle fire around 8.19am.
Video footage shows flames emerging from the bus moments before it explodes with a loud bang.
Schoolkids can be heard in the background saying they "could have died" after being caught up in the terrifying incident.
The bus was transporting kids from Inchture, Scotland, to Perth High School when it abruptly stopped on the A90.
Niamh Martin, 13, who was onboard at the time, said: "It was really scary.
"We had only been moving for a couple of minutes when the bus driver screamed 'everybody off the bus’.
"Nobody knew what was going on until people started shouting fire.
"When I got downstairs I could smell smoke - there was smoke coming up through the seats at the back.
"It was only a minute from the bus stopping to it going up in flames.
"Luckily we were well clear of it when it exploded.
"The bus driver Dale was amazing by getting everyone off and keeping everyone calm."
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the bus was evacuated safely and there were no reported injuries.
A spokesman said: "We were called to reports of a bus fire on the A90 around 8.19am this morning.
"Three appliances are on the scene.
"There are no reported injuries."
Rush hour traffic was affected by the incident as emergency services tackled the fire.
Long tailbacks could be seen stretching down the road.
A Perth & Kinross Council spokesman said: “We can confirm that one of the school buses heading to Perth High School was involved in an incident on the A90 this morning.
“All pupils and the driver were safely evacuated from the bus to a safe place and we can confirm there are no injuries. A replacement bus was organised and the pupils have been transported to the school.”
A spokesman for Stagecoach East Scotland said: "We can confirm one of our vehicles operating a contract on behalf of Perth and Kinross Council has been involved in an incident on the A90 this morning.
"There are no reported injuries and we are thankful for the quick actions of our driver in ensuring all passengers were safely evacuated from the vehicle.
"Passengers were transferred to an alternative service to get to their destination.
"Safety is our number one priority and we will be assisting the investigation into the circumstances involved."
We recently told how fire crews scrambled on Ben Lomond after thick black smoke was seen rising into the air above the mountain.
The National Trust for Scotland released a statement online saying the blaze was caused by a single cigarette which was dropped in the area within an hour of the fire starting.
No comments: