Forty two passengers had a miraculous escape when the private omni bus on which they were travelling caught fire near the Ulundurpet tollgate on the Tiruchi-Chennai National Highway in the early hours of Saturday.
The bus was proceeding from Tiruchi to Chennai when the accident occurred.
According to the police, smoke emanated from the rear of the bus around 4 a.m..
Driver Murugesan, 42, of Manachanallur, who noticed the smoke, parked the bus on the roadside.
The driver asked the passengers to get down from the vehicle, and within a few minutes flames engulfed the bus and it was completely burnt. Further investigations are on.