Lucky escape for passengers after two private buses catch fire on NH 65 in Suryapet

A major mishap was averted as the fire spread just after the passengers got off the vehicles.

Suryapet: Around 16 passengers of an APSRTC Vennala Sleeper Luxury bus had a lucky escape after the bus caught fire and was gutted on the National Highway 65 at Gumpula of Chivvemla mandal in the early hours of Sunday.

According to the police, a major mishap was averted as the fire spread just after the passengers got off the bus. The morning horror started unfolding when a technical snag cropped up in the bus.

The bus driver immediately asked the passengers to get off the vehicle to take up repairs. Another APSRTC bus, which was kept as standby at the Suryapet bus-stand to use in case of a breakdown of any bus, reached the spot by then to take the passengers to their destination. The spare bus was stopped behind the first one as the driver got down to help his colleague repair the first bus.

However, the first bus suddenly caught fire, reportedly due to a spark from the battery when the driver was repairing it. The flames immediately spread to the second bus as well, with flames engulfing both buses in no time.

The bus was going to Vijayawada from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. On being alerted, fire engines rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.

Another bus was arranged for the 16 passengers to reach their destination.