A TNSTC bus carrying 63 passengers caught fire near Karumathampatti in Coimbatore district on Tuesday evening. All the passengers of the Coimbatore-bound bus managed to get out of the vehicle before the fire started to spread.
The incident took place around 4.15 p.m. when the bus was approaching Karumathampatti on the Salem – Kochi Highway. The driver stopped the bus after noticing smoke emitting from the front side. The crew immediately evacuated all the 63 passengers and moved them to a safe distance.
The crew alerted the police as the fire started to spread further. After being alerted by the police, a unit from the Sulur fire station headed to the location. Another unit from Avinashi also reached the spot. Fire brigades doused the flames after struggling for about an hour.
“The driver heard a loud noise and stopped the vehicle. We are yet to ascertain the actual cause of the fire,” said M. Ragunathan, station officer, Sulur fire station.
The passengers continued their journey on another bus that was arranged from the TNSTC depot at Karumathampatti. Traffic along one side of the highway was disrupted for about an hour due to the fire.
