School bus catches on fire in Larnaca, no injuries (updated)

A school bus with about 30 pupils onboard in Kiti was hollowed out as it was engulfed in flames early Tuesday morning. The vehicle was completely destroyed but no injuries were sustained.

But questions have been raised as to how the bus caught fire in such a spectacular manner when, according to a transport ministry announcement, the vehicle had passed an MOT check in August 2021. The ministry said the bus in question was indeed certified for use.

Reports from the headmaster of the school indicate that the bus was known to be faulty for about a month.

Fire service spokesman Andreas Kettis said that at around 7am a call was received about a fire on a moving bus with students near Kiti high school in Larnaca, when the driver noticed smoke coming out of the back engine.

School headmaster Loizos Perdikos told local media that he first noticed the smoke and alerted the driver of the incident, who then proceeded to move the vehicle away from the school grounds but it caught fire after moving just 50 metres.

Questions will have to be answered however, as the headmaster said that the bus in question was known to be faulty in the past as it was reportedly problematic for at least a month before the incident.

Police spokesman Christos Andreou said that the immediate suspected cause appears to be faults with the engine, but specialised personnel are on the case – although precise answers may be difficult to pick out from the hollowed out wreckage.

The transport ministry later in the day said that extra checks will be carried out on school buses, regardless of whether they have recently passed safety checks.

Without any panic the driver got the students safely off the bus and proceeded to drive the vehicle away and park it in an open area nearby.

Firefighters from the Larnaca fire station sped to the scene with two fire trucks and managed to extinguish the fire.

According to the fire department statement the bus was completely destroyed, but no injuries were sustained, and the students were transported to school with another bus.