Hubballi: Three burn to death after private bus catches fire
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The fatal mishap occurred 20 km from National Highway 4 at Varuru village in the wee hours of Wednesday.
A Durgamba Travels bus, heading to Dharwad from Bengaluru, was in Hubballi at 5.30 am, when the driver observed smoke pouring out of the bus.
The driver stopped the vehicle, investigated the source of the smoke and then raised the alarm on realising that the bus had indeed caught on fire.
Meanwhile, half-asleep passengers too noticed a fire spreading on the inside of the bus. Some of them smashed window panes and leapt from the bus even as the rest evacuated in a panic.
However, tragically, some suffered severe burns and three passengers were killed by the blaze.
Though fire tenders were rushed to the scene, they could not provide much assistance as the bus was completely torched in a short while.
“After smelling smoke, I stopped the bus and checked the rear, which had caught fire. I broke several windows and raised the alarm for passengers to evacuate. Since all were asleep, many remained inside despite the warning. Three people were burnt alive, and 10 to 11 have severe burn injuries. The police took them to the nearby KIMS hospital,” said driver Siddana Gowda Patil.
Suvarna News reporters discovered that an inflammable chemical (‘Silicon sealant’) was being carried in the rear luggage section of the bus, which might have caused the fire.
