KANCHEEPURAM: More than 40 students escaped unhurt after a private school bus caught fire near Kovur in Kundrathur on Tuesday (July 21) morning. The fire was extinguished before it could spread, averting a major mishap.

The bus, carrying students from Gerugambakkam and Kolapakkam, developed smoke from the engine compartment as it neared the school. The driver immediately pulled over and evacuated the students.

Members of the public and employees of a nearby fuel station, where the incident occurred, helped move the children to safety and used fire extinguishers to douse the flames before the fire spread further.

A replacement vehicle was later arranged to take the students to school.

Mangadu police visited the spot and began an inquiry. Preliminary investigation suggests the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit, though police said other possible causes were also being examined.

The incident has prompted parents to demand a fresh inspection of the school's buses. Officials had inspected private school vehicles before the reopening of schools after the summer vacation.