UP TO 30 schoolchildren in Co Cork had a lucky escape when the bus in which they were travelling went on fire shortly after they were dropped off yesterday morning.
The children had just been dropped off to school in Fermoy and the bus was continuing towards Mitchelstown when the engine went on fire at about 8.45am. The driver managed to safely evacuate the bus of three women who were still on board and then raise the alarm. The women and driver were uninjured.
The bus had been travelling in the slow lane of the main Cork- Dublin road near the entrance to Kilworth Army camp.
Gardaí and fire crews from Mitchelstown and Fermoy were on the scene quickly and got the fire under control. One lane of the main road had to be closed for some time, but two lanes were kept open and traffic flowed.
Bus Éireann area manager Joe Fitzgerald said Bus Éireann and the Garda would carry out separate investigations. "Obviously we are concerned about the incident, but the driver did really well in getting the bus to a halt safely and getting the passengers off," he said.
