RAMANATHAPURAM: Four persons, including two children from West Bengal were charred to death, when the tourist bus they were travelling in caught fire on East Coast Road near Tirupullani late on Saturday night.
Initial reports suggest that the fire was triggered by a snag in the air-conditioning system of the bus, which spread, trapping the tourists. As most of the passengers were asleep, they failed to notice the fire, which spread fast. According to sources, the vehicle had around 50 passengers and many of them suffered burns.
Unconfirmed reports said that the tourists were carrying an LPG cylinder in the bus to cook food, which leaked, apparently leading to the fire. The injured were taken to Ramanathapuram Government Headquarters Hospital.