Electric bus from Chennai to Bengaluru catches fire, passengers escape unhurt
The bus caught fire at Chembarambakkam near Poonamallee early on Friday morning after another vehicle rear-ended it. The passengers stepped out after noticing smoke from the bus.
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The onlookers decided to source water from a private tanker lorry and pour it on the bus before the arrival of the fire and rescue personnel, the fire started to spread quickly. (Express photo) An electric bus on its way from Chennai to Bengaluru caught fire early on Friday morning after another vehicle rear-ended it at Chembarambakkam near Poonamallee on the Chennai-Bengaluru national highway. The 10 passengers on board escaped unhurt as they had disembarked after the bus operator alerted them about smoke emanating from the vehicle, officials said.
The bus was on its way to Bengaluru after picking up passengers from Koyambedu. When it neared Queensland Amusement Park at Chembarambakkam, the bus driver applied the brakes to avoid hitting another motorist, officials said. A private Omni bus hit the bus from the rear end, officials said.
“Since the battery circuit was placed behind, smoke started to emerge from the bus. Immediately, the bus operator asked the passengers to get down,” a senior fire brigade official said. He further said that since the onlookers decided to source water from a private tanker lorry and pour it on the bus before the arrival of the fire and rescue personnel, the fire started to spread quickly.
Passengers said they left their valuables like mobile phones and cash in the bus and these were destroyed in the fire. (Express photo)
Visuals of thick smoke billowing from the bus were shared widely on social media.
The senior official noted that the incident happened at 6.15 am. Around 6.21, the fire and rescue service station was informed and two fire engines from Irungattukottai were rushed to the spot.
“Since it was a highway, there was continuous movement of vehicles and we needed to take extra care to douse the flames. In about two-and-a-half hours, the fire was completely brought under control,” the official added.
Speaking to the media, a few passengers said that as soon as they heard the sound of the vehicle hitting their bus, they panicked. They said they left their valuables like mobile phones and cash in the bus and these were destroyed in the fire.
The Kancheepuram police are carrying out an inquiry in connection with the incident.
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