26 students escape unhurt after school bus bursts into flames

JOHOR BARU: Twenty-six secondary students escaped injuries when their school bus burst into flames near the Skudai Parade shopping mall here on Tuesday (Oct 2).

According to Johor Baru North OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Taib Ahmad, the driver saw black smoke coming out from the vehicle and stopped the bus.

“The driver then ordered all the students to leave the bus immediately,’’ he said, adding that the students were travelling home from school when the incident occurred.

Johor Baru Fire and Rescue Department senior chief Khairul Azhar Aziz said that the department received a distress call at around 2.15pm.

He said one fire engine and seven firefighters were deployed to the scene and they managed to put out the blaze in about 45 minutes.

The bus was badly damaged in the blaze.

In a separate case, a plastic manufacturing factory and a frozen food processing plant in Jalan Perdagangan 10, Taman Universiti, Skudai, were destroyed in a morning fire on Tuesday. 

Johor Fire and Rescue Department operations chief Abd Rahman Ismail said the department received a distress call at around 6.07am.

He said seven fire engines with 25 firefighters from the Johor Baru and Skudai Fire and Rescue stations were deployed to the scene.

“There are no casualties or injuries in the blaze, and we are still investigating the cause of the fire,’’ said Abd Rahman.

ACP Mohd Taib said initial investigations showed there was no criminal evidence linked to the incident.