Fire destroys three private school buses in Kerala capital; sabotage suspected

Three buses of a private school near Chenkottukonam in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, were destroyed in a fire that broke out at the school in the early hours of Monday. Although sabotage is suspected behind the fire, there were no casualties in the incident.

The incident took place around 1.45 am on the grounds of Trivandrum Scottish School

According to police, the school security guard first discovered the fire after noticing flames engulfing the front of a minivan and the side of a nearby bus. Within minutes the fire spread quickly and loud cracking sounds from the breaking glass could be heard.

Local residents alerted the fire and rescue services, who sent units from Kazhakuttom and Chakka fire stations. By the time firefighters had the fire under control, three buses had been completely destroyed.

While two other buses were parked nearby, the drivers rushed to the spot and managed to drive the vehicles away.

The school management suspected that there was foul play in the incident. They claimed the minibus, which was parked about 10 meters away on the other side of the ground, had apparently crashed into the parked buses before the fire started. Such circumstances have raised suspicions that the incident could have occurred with premeditation.

In addition, fire officials have stated that there is no immediate indication that the fire was caused by mechanical failure or the age of the vehicles. Forensic experts and firefighters are expected to conduct a scientific investigation at the scene to determine the exact cause of the fire.

However, a major challenge in the investigation is the absence of CCTV cameras in the affected area of ​​the school premises.