CHENNAI: Twelve staff members of a private engineering college escaped unhurt after the van in which they were travelling caught fire, near Sriperumbudur in Kancheepuram district on Wednesday evening.

Police said the van belonged to a private engineering college located in Pennalur near Sriperumbudur. The vehicle was carrying the staff members from the college towards Amarambedu along the Sriperumbudur-Kundrathur Road.

When the van reached Amarambedu, the driver, Adhi Kesavan (60), noticed thick black smoke billowing from the front portion of the vehicle. Sensing danger, he immediately stopped the van by the roadside.

The college staff members got down from the vehicle in panic. Within minutes, the van caught fire and was engulfed in flames.

The driver alerted the police and fire service, following which personnel from the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services and the Somangalam police rushed to the spot. However, by the time firefighters arrived, the vehicle had been gutted.

Police have registered a case and are investigating. Preliminary inquiries suggest that an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire.