As many as 40 passengers of a Hyderabad-bound private bus from Chennai had a miraculous escape when the bus caught fire at Chagallu, near Ulavapadu in Prakasam district in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Noticing smoke, the driver alerted the passengers to get down before the bus was gutted in a fire, police said.
However, personal belongings of some of the passengers were reduced to ashes, police added.