COIMBATORE: A private bus carrying 56 people, including 54 students of a private college in Namakkal, on a tour to the Nilgiris caught fire on the Coonoor - Mettupalayam ghat road on Saturday midnight. The fire safety personnel from Mettupalayam put out the blaze in a two-hour operation, and no casualties were reported.
The students of a private engineering college in Rasipuram left for Udhagamandalam on Friday (October 6) night. After visiting tourist spots, they were on their way back when the incident took place. Around 12:10 am, when the bus was near Kallar, the right rear tyre caught fire. The driver of a car that was following the bus, alerted the bus driver.
He stopped the bus and all occupants got out of the vehicle safely even as fire engulfed the bus. Mettupalayam police station and fire safety personnel were alerted and three fire tenders were called from the Mettupalayam and Annur. The firefighters tried to douse the fire but the blaze was intense and the bus was completely gutted.
“We suspect overheating of the brake drum led to the fire, which is common on ghat roads. Also there were a lot of decorative lights on the bus and the circuits might have caught fire. Luckily there were no casualties and the students were sent back in another bus. Mettupalayam police registered a case and are investigating,” said a police officer. It may be noted that nine tourists died on September 30 after a tourist bus from Tenkasi fell into a gorge on the same road.