A 23-year-old college student suffered burns on her hand on Monday morning after a private bus in which she was travelling from Bengaluru to Manipal caught fire near Uppinangady, 40 km from Mangaluru.
The Uppinangady police said that around 5 a.m., the bus driver stopped the bus after noticing smoke emanating from the rear of the bus. The driver alerted the passengers and asked them to get off the bus as the fire started to spread.
Barsa Rai of Patna, who was sleeping on the upper breath, suffered burns on her right hand even as she exiting the bus. Another woman passenger also suffered minor burns on her hands, the police said.
The fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit, the police added. Superintendent of Police Sharanappa S.D. said that 24 passengers were in the bus. The bus had stopped for a few minutes at Nelyadi, before leaving for Mangaluru.
The Fire and Emergency Services personnel doused the fire at around 5.30 a.m.