Guntur-bound state bus catches fire on the outskirts of Hyderabad; no casualties

Narrow escape for around 45 passengers after a #TSRTC AC bus travelling from #Hyderabad to Vijayawada catches #fire on NH near Pedda Amberpet. Alert driver managed to get all passengers out safe.

Fire tenders and locals were doused the flames.#BusFire #FireAccident pic.twitter.com/zmbh4xthoo

— Surya Reddy (@jsuryareddy) July 6, 2023

According to the TSRTC, the bus from the BHEL depot was heading to Guntur on the ORR. Driver Balakrishna decided to park the vehicle near a Brindavan Hotel to clean the windshield for better visibility when he spotted the issue.

“When he smelled smoke from the engine, he alighted all passengers. There were only 11 passengers on board. The depot manager and fire station were alerted. The bus is partly damaged. There are no casualties or burn injuries. All the passengers were shifted to another bus and proceeded with the journey,” a TSRTC official said.

No casualties were reported, but the bus was gutted and an investigation is in progress. Initial reports suggest that the fire was caused by a short circuit.

Police said that the driver asked all passengers to leave as he noticed sparks and smoke near the engine. Station House Officer H Venkateswarlu of Hayathnagar police station confirmed that there were no casualties, but one person was injured in the incident.