Sixteen passengers of an Odisha-bound bus had a narrow escape after the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation bus they were travelling in caught fire near Salur ghat in Koraput district on Thursday morning.
Visuals from the site of the incident on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border. (HT Photo)
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
The vehicle, which was en route from Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh to Jeypore, caught fire at around 7.30am at Salur ghat on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border allegedly due to an electrical short circuit. Within minutes, the vehicle was engulfed in flames, but passengers jumped out in time before the bus was completely gutted within minutes.
Firefighters from the Andhra Pradesh Fire Service rushed to the spot and managed to douse the blaze, preventing it from spreading to nearby forest areas.
Locals said the driver’s presence of mind averted a major tragedy. “As soon as the smoke started coming out from the engine, the driver stopped the bus and asked everyone to get down. Within moments, the whole bus was on fire,” said a passenger who escaped unhurt.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
{{^usCountry}}
Local police and transport officials have begun an inquiry to ascertain the exact cause of the fire. The OSRTC authorities said a detailed inspection would be carried out before the vehicle’s debris is cleared from the spot.
{{/usCountry}}
{{#usCountry}}
Local police and transport officials have begun an inquiry to ascertain the exact cause of the fire. The OSRTC authorities said a detailed inspection would be carried out before the vehicle’s debris is cleared from the spot.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
