Thane, Apr 23 (PTI) All 17 occupants of a bus had a narrow escape after it caught fire on a bridge near Thane railway station in Maharashtra on Thursday afternoon, officials said.
The incident, which occurred around 1.30 pm, led to chaos on the busy bridge, which serves as a primary hub for Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) and state transport buses.
Videos surfaced on social media showing the luxury Shivshahi bus, belonging to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), engulfed in flames and thick black smoke billowing from it.
As many as 14 passengers, an ST employee, the driver and the conductor were inside the bus when the blaze erupted, the driver told reporters.
The driver said he saw smoke in the engine and raised an alarm, following which all occupants rushed out of the vehicle.
After being alerted, local fire personnel and other emergency teams rushed to the spot and the blaze was later doused, Thane’s disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said.
The bus was completely charred and a probe was underway into the cause of the blaze.
Traffic on the Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme (SATIS) bridge was suspended for some time as fire personnel worked to douse the blaze and secure the area. PTI COR GK
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