New Delhi:
"From the side I saw the flames...and immediately shouted to the students to slowly start exiting from the back door...it all happened in seconds," recalls Seema Gupta. One look at what remains of the school bus she's describing and it's clear why Gupta, a teacher, is still shaken.
On Thursday morning, 45 children were on their way to Evergreen School in east Delhi when a spark in the bus' CNG kit sparked a fire, which spread rapidly. The children were rescued by the bus driver, the conductor, and Gupta, who was the teacher on board the bus. The Supreme Court's guidelines insist that a teacher must be placed on every school bus.
Praveen Kumar, the bus driver, was the first to sense something was wrong and stopped the bus. Dinesh Chander .the conductor, who leapt out of the bus, spotted the flames and raised an alarm. Both Praveen and Dinesh have suffered burns, but they say it's a small price to pay for saving the children. "Our priority was to save every child," says Pravin.
And in his home on Friday, a steady stream of visitors includes grateful parents. The Delhi government has also promised to reward Praveen and Dinesh for their bravery and commitment to their duty.