On Saturday early morning, 40 passengers traveling from Bengaluru to Chennai on a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus made a narrow escape after the bus caught fire.
At 8:20 A.M., the bus slowed down at Nazarathpet check post when a few commuters who were on bikes approached the bus driver and told him smoke was coming from the back of the bus.
Before the fire could engulf the bus the driver and conductor rushed all the passengers out of the bus avoiding any injuries.
Unfortunately, firefighters informed of the fire got stuck in traffic and were unable to reach the spot on time. The bus was in flames and burnt for about an hour after which the fire went off.
The KSRTC driver, Sridhar said, “It was obvious that the bus would catch fire soon as the fire was spreading. Conductor Ramachandra and I got all the passengers out safely before things could go out of hand.”
He went on to explain that the Poonamallee, Madurvoyal and Ambattur fire stations were immediately alerted.
KSRTC PRO, Latha said, “The vehicle began burning near the check post, which led to a severe traffic jam on the Sriperambudur-Poonamallee stretch. The police were very effective in dispersing the traffic but by the time the firefighters arrived, the entire bus was gutted.”
Latha further added that officials are going to Chennai to inspect and figure out the reason for the fire. According to the driver, the fire was coming from the engine.
