Hyderabad, Nov 11 (IANS) Passengers of a private bus had a narrow escape as it caught fire on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway in the early hours of Tuesday.

The bus, which was going to Kandukur from Hyderabad, suddenly caught fire near Pittampally in Chityala mandal of Telangana’s Nalgonda district.

The driver noticed smoke coming out of the engine and immediately stopped the bus. He alerted the passengers, who all got down before the flames engulfed the vehicle.

There were 29 passengers aboard the bus belonging to a private travel agency. The vehicle was completely gutted before a fire engine reached the spot to douse the flames.

Police rushed to the spot and took up the investigation.

The Telugu states have seen a series of road accidents involving buses during the last three weeks.

A head-on collision between an RTC bus and a tipper truck in Telangana’s Rangareddy district claimed 19 lives on November 3. The speeding truck carrying construction material rammed into the bus, which was going to Hyderabad from Tandur. Several passengers were buried under the gravel.

A private travel bus overturned in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru district, killing a man and injuring 10 others on the night of November 3. The accident occurred when the bus belonging to Bharati Travels, and coming to Hyderabad from Eluru, overturned while negotiating a turn at Jubilee Nagar.

One person was killed and eight others injured when a private bus rammed into a truck on November 4 in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri Sathya Sai district. The accident occurred near Dhamajipalli in Chennakothapalle mandal. The bus belonging to Jabbar Travels hit the truck from behind while negotiating the turn.

Nineteen people were burnt to death when a private bus caught fire after running over a motorbike lying on the road following an accident near Kurnool town of Andhra Pradesh on October 24. The bus belonging to Vemuri Kaveri Travels was engulfed in flames after the motorbike was stuck under its belly. The spark and fuel leakage from the bike triggered the massive blaze.

–IANS

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