Bus catches fire on highway in Maharashtra; passengers escape unhurt

Mumbai, Sep 10 (PTI) Thirty passengers travelling in an air-conditioned bus had a narrow escape when it caught fire on Pune-Satara highway in Maharashtra on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

The incident took place at 1.50 pm when the state transport’s ‘Shivshahi’ bus was at Vadhefata near Satara city on Swargate-Sangli route, they said.

The AC bus had 30 passengers on board apart from two crew members, a spokesperson of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) said.

It caught fire after its left side rear tyre burst, he said.

All passengers and crew members were safe, the official said.

“There was no injury to anyone in the blaze,” he said.

The bus suffered damages of nearly Rs 25 lakh, he added.

MSRTC is one of the largest public transport corporations in the country with a fleet of more than 15,000 AC and non-AC buses.

More than 60 lakh passengers travel on the state corporation’s buses daily.