Bus catches fire on E19, 30 children evacuated

Thirty children were evacuated from a burning bus on the E19 motorway close to the Mechelen-Noord exit yesterday. The children from Antwerp were on their way to a day out at De Nekker sports park (pictured) with adult school staff when the bus caught fire.

The driver took the bus on to the hard shoulder and evacuated children and staff. No one was injured. The fire in the engine was blamed on a technical defect.

“At first I didn’t realise,” driver Pierre Perniaux told Het Nieuwsblad. “Then other drivers started pulling alongside me and shouting ‘fire, fire’. One of them even drove in front of me. Then I saw the fire and pulled over on to the hard shoulder. My first concern was to get the children out.”

The fire was extinguished but the bus was unable to continue. The bus company, Adiel Tours, provided a replacement vehicle and the children were later able to carry on to De Nekker.

Photo: livinginmechelen.be