BENGALURU: Around 43 bus passengers encountered a near death experience on Saturday morning, when a KSRTC Volvo bus travelling from Bengaluru to Chennai caught fire.
"The engine located on the rear caught fire. Thankfully no one was hurt as the driver and conductor evacuated everyone before the flames could engulf the whole bus. The technical team has reached the spot and is investigating the cause of the accident," said Latha, PRO, KSRTC.
The incident occurred around 8.20 am, when the bus had reached Poonamallee near Chennai. The smoke was spotted by passersby and passengers were evacuated. Before the firefighters could reach the spot, the bus got completely gutted.
It may be recalled that a similar accident occurred in 2013, when a Volvo bus, run by a private company, caught fire near Mahabubnagar in Andhra Pradesh killing 45 passengers.
The bus was going from Bengaluru to Hyderabad. The diesel tank of the bus caught fire after it had hit a culvert and within minutes it was engulfed in flames. Only five people could escape through the exit via the driver’s seat.
