: Around 20 passengers, including women and children, escaped unhurt after a private sleeper bus travelling from Kanpur to Ratlam caught fire near the Pahuj River bridge in Jhansi shortly after midnight on Sunday.
The incident occurred around 2 am when the Shatabdi Travels bus reportedly developed a technical fault after crossing a speed breaker. Conductor Kamlesh Kumar said smoke was rising from beneath the driver’s seat while the battery compartment was being checked.
The crew quickly evacuated passengers through the main gate and emergency exit windows before flames engulfed the entire vehicle.
Three fire tenders rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after extensive efforts. Though no injuries were reported, passengers lost their luggage and valuables kept in the baggage compartment.
Chief fire officer Raj Kishore Rai said a short circuit was suspected to have caused the fire. He added that flammable interior material and the explosion of a small LPG cylinder inside the bus worsened the blaze. He also stressed the need for proper safety measures in passenger vehicles.