A woman was charred to death and a mother and son were severely injured after a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus caught fire early on Tuesday at Arishinakunte near Nelamangala, nearly 30 km from Bengaluru.
The bus left Sringeri around 3.30 p.m. on Monday and reached Hassan around 8.30 p.m. It caught fire at 12.15 a.m., just a few minutes before reaching Bengaluru.
According to eyewitnesses, locals and people from other buses tried to rescue the passengers. There were 20 people on board, but rescuers could not save Bhagyamma, 60, who hailed from Peenya.
The police said that Bhagyamma and her relative were returning to Peenya from Hassan after attending a funeral. “They were sitting behind the driver’s seat,” said an officer.
Mamata (30), a native of Hassan residing in Kengeri, sustained 60% burns and has been admitted to Victoria Hospital, Bengaluru. Her six-year-old son, Yeshas, also sustained injuries, but is said to be out of danger. They were seated in the front row.
Dinesh (37) and Padmanabh Shastry (55) of Sringeri also sustained burns, but were treated as outpatients in a Nelamangala hospital.
The Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services (KSFES) officers said that one fire tender and 10 personnel doused the flames in a couple of hours. “The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained,” said a senior KSFES officer in-charge of Nelamangala.
The KSRTC officials said that the fire did not appear to have originated from the engine, wheels or fuel tank, and suspect that some inflammable materials brought on board for a puja could have been the cause.
“Our initial probe shows no damage to the fuel tank, engine or tyres. The fire engulfed the upper half of the bus. We suspect that some passenger would have carried inflammable items,” said KSRTC Managing Director Rajendra Kataria.
A case has been registered with the Nelamangala traffic police. “A forensic team will conduct investigation to ascertain the cause,” said a police officer.
Mr. Kataria, who visited the survivors at Victoria Hospital, announced compensation of ₹5 lakh to Bhagyamma’s family. The KSRTC will bear medical expenses of the survivors, he said.
