Bus catches fire in Ranchi, close shave for over 40 passengers

Ranchi, Oct 25 (PTI) Over 40 passengers had a narrow escape as a moving bus caught fire in Ranchi on Saturday evening, police said.

The incident happened on the Ranchi-Lohardaga highway when the bus was

heading to Chatra from the state capital, they said.

“There were nearly 45 passengers on the bus, which suddenly caught fire near Mandar Bazar,” Manoj Karmali, the officer-in-charge of the Mandar police station, told PTI.

“Fortunately, the bus was stopped in time and the passengers were brought out safely. A fire tender arrived shortly, but by then, local shopkeepers had doused the flame. None of the passengers suffered any injury, nor any major damage was caused to goods,” he said.

It is suspected that the fire started due to a short circuit near the battery box and spread because of chemical solutions kept in the bus, he added.

“The bus has been kept in the police station compound, while an alternative arrangement was made to take the passengers to their destination,” Karmali said.

Police said the bus owner has been summoned and would be questioned regarding missing safety measures, including fire extinguishers.

Twenty people were killed on Friday after a Bengaluru-bound private bus caught fire in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district after colliding with a two-wheeler. PTI ANB SOM