Bengaluru: Amid growing safety concerns following a series of recent accidents involving sleeper buses, around 30 passengers had a narrow escape after a private semi-sleeper bus caught fire following an accident on the Bengaluru-Tumakuru stretch of National Highway-48 in the wee hours of Friday.Passengers escaped with minor bruises sustained during the accident. Fire and Emergency Services personnel rushed to the spot to douse the blaze. According to some passengers, as the driver lost control while attempting to overtake a truck, the bus mounted on the footpath and rammed an electric pole, before coming to an abrupt halt and tilting to one side. They complained that the bus had departed late from Bengaluru and was speeding to make up for lost time. A Fire and Emergency Services officer said a fallen electric wire, after the bus rammed the pole, might have caused a spark, triggering the blaze.It took nearly 15 minutes for all passengers to get out of the vehicle. Moments later, the bus went up in flames, which spread rapidly and engulfed the entire vehicle.Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the incident occurred between 1:30 am and 1:45 am near Hanumanthapura Gate in Nelamangala taluk of Bengaluru Rural district. The non-AC bus, operated by Sanjana Travels, was travelling from Bengaluru to Kalaburagi when it caught fire. Highway widening work was under way on the stretch. Panick-stricken passengers rushed out of the bus, even as the driver, identified as Manohar, and the cleaner fled the spot. Police said a brief power disruption in the area owing to civil work might have helped avert a major disaster. “Had the power supply been on, the consequences could have been far worse,” a police officer pointed out. Denying any role in the bus fire or any lapse on their part, a BESCOM engineer from Bengaluru Rural district clarified: “There was no live current at the time of the accident, and our transmission line was not responsible for the fire.” Even though the passengers breathed a sigh of relief after such a narrow escape, some were distraught as all their belongings stowed in the luggage compartment were reduced to ashes. One of the passengers said she had lost her jewellery, clothes, and cash in the fire and demanded compensation from the travel operator. Thyamagondlu police have registered a case.
