In a freak incident, four bus passengers suffered burn injuries when its crew in panic hurled a bottle of acid left in the luggage box after smoke emanated from it near here today, police said.
Passengers of the state-owned transport corporation bus, on its way to Marthandam from Udhagamandalam, complained of irritation and suffocation due to the smoke when the bus was passing through a bypass road near here.
Following this, the driver stopped the bus and along with the conductor checked the luggage box when they found the smoke coming out of the bottle.
Gripped by panic, the crew hurled the bottle. The acid in the bottle fell on passengers sitting inside the bus, injuring four of them. They were treated at a hospital for burns, police said.
They said the bottle kept in the baggage of a passenger had leaked due to jerks in the long journey, emanated smoke.
It was known whether the passenger, yet to be identified, had transported the acid, which is prohibited under rules, with the knowledge of the crew or not, police said adding further investigation was on.
