Bus on school tour explodes, students escape unhurt

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 20:59 by GxMedia

Several children on a school tour narrowly escaped injury when the bus they were travelling in exploded and caught ablaze on the Mahaica new road, eyewitnesses said.

The estimated 55 students and four teachers from the Cotton Tree Primary School, West Coast Berbice were returning from an educational tour in the capital, Georgetown, when the incident happened about 5:45 PM.

The students of Bath Primary School who were on a similar tour vacated their bus so that the younger students from Cotton Tree Primary could have been transported home.

Police sources said the driver of the bus, owned by Roy Hercules, heard a “funny sound” and ordered the passengers to exit the vehicle. Two minutes later, it exploded.

Region Five administration and education officials were visiting the scene up to late Thursday.

One teacher, who complained of feeling unwell after the incident, was taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital. The officials were also expected to visit her at the medical institution.