Tragedy averted: Bus with 70 passengers catches fire

  • | Monday | 13th February, 2017

The police said there was no loss of human life or property and the small gas cylinder was not full. I slammed brakes as smoke started coming out," he added.One of the passengers, Vijay Kumar, said, "From clothes the fire spread to the small gas cylinder. The passengers said they rushed out of the bus and also tossed out clothes that were in flames. "Then the clothes inside the bus also caught fire. Acting promptly, the passengers threw it out of the bus."

Ludhiana: Around 70 passengers, mostly migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, had a miraculous escape after short-circuit triggered a fire that caught a small gas cylinder in the bus they were travelling in near Doraha here on Sunday afternoon.Doraha SHO Jaspal Singh said a double-decker bus (with sleepers and seats) bearing registration number UP-83AT-8644 was carrying about 70 passengers who worked in various firms in Jalandhar. The bus was on its way to Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh and when it reached near New Kashmir Garden unit close to Doraha around 3.15pm, the double battery of the vehicle caught fire due to short-circuit.Driver of the bus, Muhammad Shahid of Bahraich, told the police that after the fire in the batteries, the power steering of the vehicle got heavy and stopped working. "Then the clothes inside the bus also caught fire. I slammed brakes as smoke started coming out," he added.One of the passengers, Vijay Kumar, said, "From clothes the fire spread to the small gas cylinder. Acting promptly, the passengers threw it out of the bus." The passengers said they rushed out of the bus and also tossed out clothes that were in flames. The cylinder belonged to one of them.After the incident, some locals rushed to their help, doused the fire and unloaded inflammable stuff. Later, some onlookers informed the police control room and cops from Doraha police station reached the spot.Doraha SHO said with the help of passengers and onlookers, the bus was started again and passengers left for their onward journey. The police said there was no loss of human life or property and the small gas cylinder was not full. The driver acted promptly by stopping the vehicle after steering wheel got heavy, they added.After covering about 30km, the bus broke down near Mandi Gobindgarh, Fatehgarh Sahib district, late in the evening. It was then parked along a roadside.BOXHEADLINE: Was packed beyond capacitySources in police said the bus driver did not have all the vehicle documents.Even as the bus had 50-passenger capacity, about 70 of them were travelling in it.

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