NATRiP, Volvo to probe bus fire tragedy in Andhra

Volvo has said that its team will visit the site to find out the mechanical reasons behind the incident

Global Automotive Research Centre, the Chennai wing of National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP), will investigate the causes that led to a speeding Volvo bus in Andhra Pradesh catching fire on Wednesday morning, killing 45 people.

The Centre has asked both bus manufacturer, Volvo Buses India Private Limited, and NATRiP to conduct independent enquiries into the incident, said a source in know of the development.

Volvo has also said its team will visit the accident site to find out the mechanical reasons behind the bus catching fire.

Early on Wednesday morning, a Volvo bus, operated by Jabbar Travels, had rammed into a culvert on NH-44, enroute to Hyderabad from Bangalore. In the impact, the fuel tank caught fire and 45 passengers were charred to death. According to a statement released by the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT), an autonomous research body, the bus driver could have been driving at more than 100 km per hour when the accident happened. It also noted that there was no second driver to alternate with him, as required under the tourist operator's permit.

S P Singh, senior fellow at IFTRT, said: "The safe passenger capacity in such 12-metre luxury coaches should not be more than 36, apart from (those in) the driver's cabin. In this case, capacity has been created for more than 45 sleeper berths." He alleged the interior bus fabrication material for seats and structure appeared to be not of fire-retardant quality, resulting in plastic/vinyl materials melting immediately.

Volvo Buses India officials, however, countered Singh's claims. "It was a 13.7-metre bus with carrying capacity of over 49 passengers. We meet all regulations laid out by the government and the layout was as per the plan approved by the relevant authorities," said Sohanjeet Randhawa, head of marketing at Volvo Buses India. Randhawa added it had inaccurately been stated by certain agencies that it was a sleeper bus.

IFTRT also alleged no fire-alarm safety mechanism was installed in the bus - which would have alerted passengers - and no hammers were fixed along the side walls to break the window glass in event of an emergency, which made it difficult for passengers to escape. Randhawa, however, declined to comment on particulars. "It would be inappropriate to comment on such speculations without proper investigation."

In an official statement, Volvo Buses India said: "At this juncture, we cannot represent the sequence or cause of the event as investigations are going on in this regard by the relevant authorities. A team from Volvo would be also visiting to gather facts of this incident. We will offer all cooperation to the authorities and agencies investigating this accident."