Luxury bus catches fire on Sion-Panvel highway, no injuries reported

Around 20 passengers had a narrow escape after a private luxury bus caught fire on Sion-Panvel highway near Kharghar toll naka in Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai on Friday morning, officials said

Around 20 passengers had a narrow escape after a private luxury bus caught fire on Sion-Panvel highway near Kharghar toll naka in Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai on Friday morning, officials said.

Some passengers had alighted at Panvel before the accident took place. (ANI)

According to the police, the bus was bound for Mumbai from Goa. Around 10.10 am, as it stopped to pay toll at the toll naka, one of its rear tyres caught fire. The passengers alighted within a few minutes, thus no one suffered injuries.

Prakash Wagh, a fireman from Kalamboli fire station said, “We received a call from the toll naka authorities around 10.15 am and dispatched a fire tender to the spot. Our officials doused the fire before it engulfed the entire vehicle. The exact reason behind the accident has not been understood so far. Prima facie, it appears that the fire broke out due to the tyre’s friction with the surface of the road.”

“The bus was coming from Goa and some passengers had alighted at Panvel before the accident took place. Several passengers also boarded other vehicles soon after alighting from this bus at the accident spot. We spotted around 20 passengers waiting along the highway,” he said.