Govt bus catches fire, narrow escape for passengers

A week after the bus fire tragedy in Andhra Pradesh, a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus, with 35 passengers, caught fire here due to an engine snag but alert crew prevented a possible mishap.
The bus, plying between Hassan and Bangalore, caught fire around 5.30pm at Gorgunteplaya following which the passengers were asked to alight, a KSRTC official told reporters here.
"The driver first noticed smoke billowing from an engine near him. He then climbed down to check the cause of the fire, but quickly realised the danger of bus catching fire. Then he and the conductor alerted passengers to alight," he said.

"We express our gratitude to both the conductor and the driver for asking us to alight from the bus within minutes. The Mahabubnagar bus tragedy was fresh in our mind and we were afraid of getting charred to death," a passenger, Jayalaxmi said.
Fire and police officials rushed to the spot and soon brought the fire under control, the official said, adding, that nobody was injured in the incident.
On early hours of October 30, 45 passengers, including a baby girl, were charred to death and seven others injured when a bus belonging to Jabbar Travels was engulfed in flames near Palem village in Andhra Pradesh's Mahabubnagar district.