Nashik: A passenger ST bus operating on the Nandurbar-Nashik route suddenly caught fire on Wednesday (December 17) afternoon near Pathardi Phata. The bus was completely gutted. However, a major tragedy was averted as the driver and conductor promptly evacuated the passengers after noticing a technical fault and arranged for another bus. Nashik residents witnessed the dramatic scene of this 'burning bus'.
MSRTC Bus Gutted In Fire Near Nashik, Quick Thinking Averts Tragedy |
The bus belongs to the Dhule depot and was taken on contract by the ST Corporation. While traveling from Nandurbar to Nashik, the bus developed a technical fault in the Adgaon area. This problem arose just a few kilometers from the Nashik bus station.
MSRTC Bus Gutted In Fire Near Nashik, Quick Thinking Averts Tragedy |
The driver and conductor, showing great presence of mind, evacuated all the passengers from the bus and sent them on their way in an alternative bus. Since it was a contracted bus, it was being taken to a workshop in the Pathardi Phata area for repairs. While crossing the flyover, the bus suddenly caught fire and within minutes, the entire bus was engulfed in flames.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was caused by overheating of the brake liners. Senior ST officials stated that a thorough investigation into the incident will be conducted.
The incident caused a traffic jam on the Mumbai-Agra highway for some time. The fire brigade immediately rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. Fortunately, there was no loss of life.
