Thirty-two passengers, including two foreign tourists, had a narrow escape after a private Volvo sleeper bus travelling from Dehradun to Jaipur caught fire on the Haridwar-Roorkee highway in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.
The incident occurred around 4am near Crystal World water park, around 200 metres ahead of the Shantarshah police check post. The air-conditioned bus was travelling via Rishikesh and Haridwar when flames were seen emerging from the engine compartment.
Officials said all passengers managed to get off the bus safely before the fire engulfed the vehicle. However, all luggage kept inside the bus was destroyed in the blaze.
Police personnel and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. Firefighters battled the flames for some time before bringing the fire under control, but by then the bus was completely gutted.
Senior superintendent of police Navneet Singh Bhullar said the passengers were immediately shifted to a safe location and later sent to their destinations in other vehicles.
“Bus driver Arun Kumar, a resident of Dhaulpur in Rajasthan, reported detecting a technical snag moments before flames emerged from the engine side. All passengers were evacuated safely. The bus was completely destroyed in the fire along with the luggage,” Bhullar said.
Police said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, though a technical fault is suspected. Further probe is underway.
