Chennai: More than 40 passengers in a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus bound for Chennai from Bengaluru had a close shave after the bus caught fire while in motion near Poonamallee on Saturday morning.
The passengers were disembarked after a motorist alerted the driver about smoke emanating from the rear end of the bus.
The incident happened around 8 .15 am, police said. The Karnataka state transport corporation’s luxury Volvo bus, Airavat (Regn. No. KA 01-F8288) was moving along the Poonamallee bypass when smoke ema-nated from the rear engine.
“In a few minutes after driver S. Sridhar and conductor Ramachandran ale-rted the passengers and got them off, the rear portion was completely engulfed in fire,” a police officer said.
Fire tenders from Poona-mallee, Maduravoyal and Ambattur fire stations rus-hed to the scene braving the traffic pile up. “However, by the time the fire tenders could reach the scene, the fire spread and gutted most parts of the bus,” said an officer with the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS).
Police said that a crowd had gathered around the scene, which added to the chaos.
The bus left Bengaluru around 10 pm on Friday and was supposed to reach the city early in the morning. “There were 43 passengers on the bus. None of them suffered injuries. They we-re provided alternate transport to reach their destinations,” a police officer sa-id.KSRTC’s technical team reached the city to ascerta-in the cause. Nazrathpet Police have registered a case and are investigating.
