According to a statement issued by Murree police, the incident occurred near Bara Hotar Link Road when a Suzuki Bolan carrying schoolchildren veered off the road and caught fire, Dawn News reported.

“Upon receiving news of the incident, police and rescue teams immediately arrived at the scene,” the police said, adding that the children were rescued and taken to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

According to an incident report issued by the THQ Hospital and seen by Dawn, 12 people — including two adults and 10 children aged between five and 14 — were brought to the hospital. Ten of those admitted suffered burns of varying degrees.

Three children sustained severe burn injuries. One suffered burns to 42 per cent of the body, while the other two sustained burns to 38 per cent and 26 per cent of their bodies, respectively, the report said.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Murree District Police Officer Raza Tanveer Sipra later visited the hospital to inquire about the condition of the injured children.