Private travels bus gutted, all occupants escape unhurt

A private travels bus, going from Hyderabad to Guntur, caught fire near Keesara village in NTR District in the early hours of Saturday . All the 39 passengers, bus driver and cleaner are safe, the Fire department officials said.

Driver Chandra, who observed smoke from the rear engine, stopped the bus and alerted the passengers who rushed out of the bus. Within no time the sleeper bus went up in flames on National Highway 65, and passengers had a narrow escape, he said.

“The A.P. State Disaster Response and Fire Services and the police rushed to the spot, and put off the flames,” said NTR District Fire Officer (DFO) Ande Venkata Shankara Rao, who monitored the operation told The Hindu.

“Two fire tenders from Kanchikacherla and Nandigama, and a NHAI vehicle rushed to the spot and put off the flames,” said Station Fire Officer A. Shiva Reddy.

Villagers appreciated the bus driver, who cautioned the sleeping passengers and prevented a major mishap.