4 killed, 10 injured as mini bus catches fire in Hinjewadi IT hub

“The tempo traveller had 14 employees of Vyoma Graphics company. The vehicle caught fire while it was ferrying the employees from Kothrud and nearby areas to Hinjewadi. The fire started in the front part (of the vehicle). Nine of the vehicle’s occupants managed to get out and four could not. They have succumbed to burn injuries,” said Senior Inspector in-charge of Hinjewadi police station Kanhaiyya Thorat. The driver of the bus first felt the floor under his feet heat up. “He then saw a spark and suddenly jumped out of the vehicle. The fire soon turned into an inferno,” officials said.

Police identified the deceased as Gurudas Khandu Lokare (42), Shankar Kondiba Shinde (63), Subhash Suresh Bhosale (44),  and Rajan Siddharth Chavan (42). Those who were seriously injured were identified as the driver Janardan Hambardikar, Vishwas Khanvilkar, Chandrakant Malji, Praven Nikam, Sandeep Shinde and Vishwas Jori and were being treated in hospital. Those who sustained minor injuries and did not require hospitalisation were identified as Vishwas Godse, Manjiri Adkar, Vitthal Dighe and Pradeep Raut.

Police said their initial investigation revealed that when the driver got down, the employee sitting close to him also disembarked quickly. “However, it took some time for other employees to get out of the vehicle from the left side door. This is because they were required to bend the seat forward. They managed to move out only once the seat was bent down. One by one, at least seven of them exited. However, five who were seated at the back were caught in the smoke and the fire. They tried their best to exit from the emergency door, but it was locked. One of them, got out after breaking the glass pane on the rear door. The other four could not exit,” said a senior police official.

Suhas Vanari, a security guard of a nearby firm, said, “Like others, I too rushed to the spot. Several people tried to douse the fire in any way they could. I heard the people inside crying for help.”

A forensics team and officials of the Regional Transport Office inspected the vehicle after the tragedy. Sandesh Chavan, who heads the Pimpri-Chinchwad RTO said, “The vehicle has been completely burnt in the fire. Prima facie, it seems broken wires might have caused the flames. We suspect a short-circuit as the immediate reason.”

Chavan said they have inspected the vehicle’s documents and other requirements. “The documents, including the licence are valid… tax and insurance have been paid, we will have to verfiy when the vehicle serviced,” he said.

Nitin Shah, owner of Vyoma Graphics, said,”The vehicle was serviced on March 7. We possess all the vehicle’s valid documents. Our firm was earlier in Kothrud. Six years ago, we shifted to Hinjewadi. Since then, we have been ferrying workers to and fro. It is a free service.”

For the four employees of Vyoma Graphics, Wednesday morning started exactly the way it had for the last several years. They had, along with others, started from their houses in Kothrud and Warje and were on their way to the company’s printing facility at Phase 2 of Rajiv Gandhi Information Technology Park, also known as Hinjewadi IT Park. Not far from their workplace, the company-owned mini bus, in which 14 of its employees were travelling, suddenly caught fire in Phase 1 of the IT Park. THe employees were being taken for their general shift at Vyoma Graphics which was set to start around 8 am.

“When the bus had crossed Wipro Circle of Phase 1 of IT Park, a fire suddenly started near the driver’s seat. The driver Janardan Hambardikar’s pants suddenly caught fire. Some of the passengers and him managed to jump out one after the other. After the driver jumped out, the vehicle moved on in a haphazard manner for some distance before ramming into a roadside curb and coming to halt. As this happened, the fire rapidly spread inside the bus,” said Thorat.

By the time the bus came to a halt, it was engulfed in flames. Security guards and staffers of nearby private companies including Dassault Systèmes responded with their company’s fire extinguishers and fire hydrant hose. “Close to 20 of us started using fire extinguisher canisters and subsequently a fire hydrant hose. We even made attempts to break the glass. There four trapped in the back of the bus were not moving and we knew it was too late. But we kept going and tried to control the fire. Minutes later, fire tenders of the fire brigade arrived and joined in the effort,” said Avinash and Sandeep, who were among the private firm’s employees who responded.

Division Fire Officer Bharat Kapse said, “By the time we reached, the bus had already been completely gutted. We brought the fire under control. We had to break open the emegency door. We have reason to believe it did not open during the fire and the deceased may have made attempts to open it. The bodies of the four were found lying one on top of the other, possibly as they made an attempt to open the door.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) for Pimpri Chinchwad Vishal Gaikwad said, “The investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire. Preliminary observations point to a short circuit in the electrical system of the vehicle. The forensics teams and a team from the RTO will examine the vehicle and submit their findings. Based on these findings and our probe, further legal course of action will be determined.”

The RTO claimed it carries out regular inspections of buses ferrying passengers in the IT hub area. ”This particular bus was also inspected and its documents were valid and it met other requirements too. However, in the wake of this incident, we will undertaken another drive to ensure buses on roads adhere to all norms laid down, including the safety aspects. We will also instruct companies to carry out inspections from their end as well. We will train bus organisations in Hinjewadi on mandatory requirements. There is also a need to train employees as on how to respond when emergency situations emerge when they are travelling. The companies need to take an initiative in this regard,” said RTO Sandesh Chavan.