Sendhwa (Madhya Pradesh): A sleeper bus travelling from Mumbai to Indore was engulfed in flames around 10 am on Sunday, resulting in a terrifying scene for the 40 passengers onboard.
The incident occurred at Balasamud check post, located 15 kilometres from Sendhwa in Barwani district. According to reports, the fire originated from the bus's disc brake, which quickly spread, leading to the destruction of the vehicle.
As smoke billowed from the bus, the driver acted swiftly, stopping the vehicle and urging passengers to evacuate. Eyewitnesses described the chaos as passengers scrambled to escape the burning bus, reminiscent of a similar incident in 2011 when two buses were set ablaze at the same location.
Fortunately, all passengers escaped without physical injuries, although some lost their luggage in the blaze.
Nangalwadi police station in-charge Madhav Singh Thakur confirmed that no casualties were reported, but the bus was reduced to ashes. Emergency services responded promptly, with three fire brigades from Sendhwa and Rajpur working tirelessly to control the fire, which took approximately half an hour to extinguish. During this time, traffic on one side of the Mumbai-Agra National Highway was halted, causing delays for other travellers.
Passengers revealed that the bus had departed from Mumbai around 5 pm on Saturday and was already running three hours behind schedule. Reports indicated that the bus had been experiencing issues with the brakes before the incident, which the driver had overlooked.
Following the fire, police arrived at the scene to manage the situation and redirect traffic, clearing the congestion that lasted for about an hour. The incident serves as a stark.
