Mathura, Jan 22 (IANS) Chaos erupted on the Yamuna Expressway early Thursday morning when a moving bus suddenly burst into flames near Milestone 110 in the Raya police station area in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura district.

Panic gripped the passengers after a massive fire broke out in a Raj Kalpana (Sanskar Travels) bus that was heading towards Noida.

Passengers were seen screaming as thick smoke and flames engulfed the vehicle, but they managed to escape by jumping out through windows and doors before the fire intensified further.

According to reports, the bus bearing registration number UP90 AT 8837 was travelling from Banda to Delhi-Noida via Agra.

At around 5.15 a.m., smoke suddenly started billowing from the moving bus, and within minutes, the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames.

There were around 10 to 15 passengers on board the bus at the time of the incident, including women and children.

As soon as the fire broke out, the driver brought the bus to a halt on the expressway, triggering panic among the passengers who rushed to get off the vehicle to save their lives.

Several passengers were forced to jump out of the windows amid the raging fire, as flames spread rapidly across the bus. All passengers managed to escape without any loss of life.

After receiving information about the incident, personnel from the Raya police station and the Yamuna Expressway rescue team rushed to the spot. Fire brigade vehicles also reached the scene and, after considerable effort, managed to douse the flames.

However, by the time the fire was brought under control, the bus had been completely reduced to ashes.

The incident led to a long traffic jam on the expressway, with vehicles lining up for several hours. Police later removed the burnt remains of the bus with the help of a crane, following which traffic movement on the expressway was restored.

According to available information, some of the passengers travelling on the bus have been identified as Ijaz from Banda, Atul from Noida, Shyam Singh from Banda, Sonu from Kanpur, Saroj from Banda, and Uma, Ajay Soni, Shivani, Aarti and Dayaram, all residents of Banda.

Officials said that a probe has been initiated to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.

They added that it is being examined whether the blaze was triggered by a short circuit or due to some other technical fault in the bus.

–IANS

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