2023-06-22 19:40:00
The 37 schoolchildren, aged 8 to 10, were saved by Jamal Oucham who was bringing them back from a school outing when his bus caught fire. “We had only driven for five minutes when I heard a strange noise. I looked in the rear view mirror, but I saw nothing… When I arrived at the crossroads of the N16 with the Lodderstraat in Bornem and the Eikenvlietbaan in Puurs-Saint-Amands, I heard noise again. I looked in the rearview mirror and suddenly saw smoke coming out of the air conditioning. I could no longer see the rear seats,” he says.
Jamal quickly pulls over to the side of the road. Then, he “immediately opened all the doors and asked the children to unfasten their seat belts and get out as quickly as possible”. “Every second counted. Every second lost at this moment can cost a life,” he says, adding that he “just acted on instinct.” Jamal freed each of the trapped children. “At the end, one girl had her leg stuck somewhere. I then put my jacket on her, because the plastic above us was starting to melt due to the fire… Fortunately, I was able to free her, ”explains the driver.
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“Outside, the children were waiting for the ambulance. I went back on the bus one last time because the inhaler of two asthmatic girls was still inside. I managed to quickly find the backpack containing the inhaler by groping, ”explains Jamal who adds that he tried to put out the fire, while waiting for the arrival of the firefighters. But the fire had already engulfed the whole bus. The driver will be taken to hospital in an ambulance. He assures him that he is fine. Experts will examine the vehicle and determine the exact cause of the fire.
On Wednesday, the pupils, teachers and the director of the Pius X school made a point of expressing their sincere gratitude to him. Accompanied by driver Edmond Duka who was driving the second bus transporting the school children, Jamal was greeted with applause and received garlands of paper flowers around his neck and drawings from the students, marked by this bad experience. Jamal, he is “glad that everyone is doing well”. “When the bus caught fire, I really felt like I had to save my own children,” he said.
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