Bus catches fire.
Credit: X/@rakeshprakash1
Bengaluru: A family of three and several BMTC passengers had a narrow escape after a car ploughed into a city bus from behind and caught fire in western Bengaluru’s Chandra Layout on Wednesday, officials said.
Lokesh, 40, his 35-year-old wife, and 12-year-old daughter jumped out of their i20 car as soon as it crashed into the back of the BMTC bus (route 401NY/3) and caught fire around 9 am.
The car got stuck into the rear of the BMTC bus, causing it to also catch fire and destroying its back-row seats.
The bus was stationed on Nagarabhavi Outer Ring Road, near Chandra Layout park, waiting for passengers when the car ploughed into it. Within minutes, a spark was ignited and the car went up in flames. The car’s inhabitants sustained minor injuries due to the crash, but were not affected by the fire as they had already escaped, according to police.
“The sound at the back of the bus was sudden and loud. A car had ploughed into the bus and got sucked into the rear side. Moments later, a fire erupted. We quickly evacuated three to four passengers and steered the bus so as to detach the bus. We tried to douse the fire, but it was uncontrollable,” said Gourisha, the bus driver.
A child passenger suffered bruises and was sent to hospital, he added. Fortunately, 30 to 40 passengers had alighted only minutes before.
By the time a fire tender arrived from the Nagarbhavi fire station, the car was gutted while the bus had suffered extensive damage.
The bus was plying from Yeshwantpur to Nayandahalli.
According to the BMTC, the driver tried his best to detach the bus from the burning car by steering and reversing it, but the car was fully stuck in it. He took a brave step to drive the bus across the divider and managed to detach the car, the BMTC added.