A terrifying incident unfolded early Thursday morning on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway, where 26 individuals aboard a private luxury bus miraculously escaped unharmed after their vehicle caught fire. The Bengaluru-bound bus had departed from Chennai’s CMBT at Koyambedu around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, carrying passengers on their overnight journey.
At approximately 1:30 a.m., while nearing Pallikonda, about 5 km from the toll gate, the bus driver, K. Sankar (40) from Coimbatore, observed smoke emanating from the bonnet. His immediate and decisive action to pull the bus over to the side of the highway proved crucial in preventing a potential disaster.
Thanks to the swift evacuation efforts, all 26 occupants, including ten women, were safely removed from the burning bus. One passenger experienced breathlessness from the dense smoke and was promptly taken to the Government Taluk Hospital in Gudiyatham for medical care. Despite the successful evacuation, the bus was entirely consumed by the flames. Firefighters from Gudiyatham swiftly responded to the scene, extinguishing the inferno. Police then worked to clear the charred remains, restoring traffic flow which had been disrupted for over an hour.
Preliminary investigations by the police suggest that an electrical short circuit might have been the cause of the blaze. A thorough inquiry is currently in progress to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to the incident.