Mysuru: Over a dozen passengers, including women, narrowly escaped after an electric bus they were travelling in from Virajpet in Kodagu to Bengaluru suddenly caught fire and was completely gutted near Hunsur late on Saturday.The alert bus driver and conductor immediately stopped the bus on the side of the road and evacuated passengers and their luggage before the bus was completely gutted by fire.Additional superintendent of police Mallik C confirmed the incident and said all passengers were safely evacuated from the bus after the fire was noticed.The incident occurred near Madhugiri, Koppalu Cross on the Hunsur-Mysuru highway. The electric bus, belonging to Bengaluru depot, was carrying 16 passengers and heading towards Bengaluru when the bus caught fire. During the journey, a suspension balloon reportedly burst, triggering the fire without warning. The driver and conductor quickly noticed the flames, pulled the bus over to the roadside, and safely evacuated all passengers along with their luggage, preventing what could have been a major tragedy.Fire personnel were alerted immediately, but by the time they arrived, thick smoke and flames had already engulfed the entire bus. The firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control and extinguish it completely. Later, the passengers were sent to Bengaluru on another bus. Highway traffic was affected for nearly two hours following the incident.
