Bus catches fire after tyre bursts, passengers escape narrowly

HASSAN: A private bus caught fire and was completely gutted after one of its tyres burst while it was moving, near Shantigrama in Hassan taluk early on Saturday. The passengers on board had a narrow escape.

The private bus (KA-01-B-3164), was on its way from Mangaluru to Bengaluru with 36 passengers, including men, women, and children. Near Shantigrama, a tyre of the bus burst, and a fire broke out in the bus immediately after. The driver promptly stopped the bus on the road, and all passengers got off as soon as it halted.

The fire soon engulfed the entire bus, and the private bus was completely charred. Passengers got down in panic, and several of them lost their mobile phones and luggage to the fire. It is suspected that the bus tyre burst and caught fire due to overspeeding.

The passengers continued their journey in another bus. Fire brigade personnel arrived at the spot and extinguished the fire, but by then the bus had been completely burned. The Shantigrama police visited the spot.