A schoolgirl who was badly burned in a Murree school van accident has died at Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi, hospital officials confirmed on Wednesday. Two other children injured in the same incident remain in critical condition as they continue treatment for severe burns.
Background
The accident took place a day earlier in the Mohra Bara Hotar area of Murree, when a Suzuki Bolan van carrying schoolchildren veered off the road and plunged into a deep ravine. The vehicle caught fire immediately on impact, leaving several children with serious burn injuries.
Of the children involved, seven with comparatively minor injuries were taken to Tehsil Headquarter Civil Hospital in Murree. Four more seriously injured children were shifted to the emergency and burn unit at Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi for specialised care.
Details
The child who died has been identified as Ayesha, a schoolgirl who had suffered burns to roughly 45 percent of her body in the crash. Despite efforts by doctors at Holy Family Hospital, she passed away on Wednesday, and her body was handed over to her family.
Three other children from the same incident remain under treatment at the hospital. Her younger brother sustained burns to around five percent of his body and is said to be in comparatively stable condition. Two other young boys from the van suffered far more severe burns, covering 60 percent and 28 percent of their bodies respectively, and both are currently listed in critical condition.
Doctors at the hospital’s burn unit have continued close monitoring of the surviving children given the extent of their injuries. The exact cause of the van losing control before it fell into the ravine has not yet been officially confirmed, though local authorities are expected to look into the circumstances of the crash.
Quotes
Holy Family Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Ijaz Butt confirmed that despite the medical team’s best efforts, Ayesha could not be saved, and that two of the remaining injured children were still in a critical state. His statement reflected the severity of the burns sustained by the children brought in from the crash site.
Impact
The incident has renewed concern over the safety of school transport vehicles operating in and around Murree, a popular hill station that sees heavy traffic from both residents and tourists. In the days since the accident, Murree’s traffic police have launched inspections of school vans and other public service vehicles, specifically checking for working fire extinguishers and basic fire-safety compliance.
The case also adds to a difficult year for road safety in the Murree area, which saw a separate and far larger tragedy months earlier when a passenger van caught fire on the Murree Expressway, killing multiple members of one family. Together, these incidents have put sustained pressure on local authorities to tighten vehicle safety standards on routes leading into the hill station.
Conclusion
Doctors continue to treat the two critically injured children at Holy Family Hospital, with their condition being monitored closely in the coming days. Meanwhile, the fire-safety crackdown launched by Murree’s traffic police on school vans is expected to continue, as officials look to prevent similar accidents involving student transport in the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Murree van fire incident?
A Suzuki Bolan van carrying schoolchildren went off the road in the Mohra Bara Hotar area of Murree and fell into a deep ravine. The impact caused the vehicle to catch fire almost immediately, leaving multiple children on board with burn injuries of varying severity. Emergency responders took the injured children to two different hospitals based on the seriousness of their condition, with the most critical cases sent to the burn unit at Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi for specialised treatment.
Did anyone die in the Murree van fire incident?
Yes. One of the injured children, a schoolgirl named Ayesha who had suffered burns to about 45 percent of her body, died at Holy Family Hospital a day after the accident despite treatment from doctors. Two other children from the same crash remain in critical condition as of the latest update, while a fourth child involved in the incident is reported to be in comparatively more stable condition.
Where did the van fire incident take place?
The accident occurred in the Mohra Bara Hotar area of Murree, a hill station in Pakistan’s Punjab province that is popular with both local residents and tourists. The injured children were initially split between two medical facilities, with less severely injured cases taken to the Tehsil Headquarter Civil Hospital in Murree, and the most critical patients transferred to Holy Family Hospital in nearby Rawalpindi.
