HYDERABAD: It was a narrow escape for the passengers and the driver aboard a private bus, which erupted into flames under KPHB Metro Station in Hyderabad, late on Saturday. Visuals of the incident are being circulated on social media and it can be seen that the burning bus is parked near a petrol bunk.
The bus, belonging to Kaveri Travels, started its journey at the origin point at the JNTU Metro Station and was heading towards Miyapur to pick up more passengers when the incident took place. The driver, helper and 10 passengers, who were bound for Goa, managed to abandon the burning vehicle after the driver noticed the fired and alerted the helper, who in turn, warned the passengers and evacuated the bus.
“The flames erupted in the bottom part of the bus. After I was alerted (by the driver), I tried helping get the passengers off the bus. There were 10 passengers in the bus who were heading from Hyderabad to Goa,” the helper said.
Onlookers noticed the flames and tried to help the passenger by breaking the window panes while the helper tried opening the emergency exit. While no one sustained any injuries, the bus was reduced to debris in a short amount of time. Some passengers mentioned they left their luggage, which included laptops, on the bus. Officials suspect that the fire was caused by a short circuit.
KPHB police, traffic cops and firefighters helped douse the flames and regulate the traffic. Police also prevented people from convening at the spot and cleared the traffic in less than an hour.