The bus caught fire in the middle of a forest near Arasalu-Sudur near Ripponpet.
Shivamogga: Over 40 passengers had a narrow escape when a private sleeper bus by which they were travelling caught fire near Sudur in Hosanagara taluk of Shivamogga district on Tuesday night.
The bus was completely burnt and two drivers sustained minor injuries. All the passengers got out off the bus safely.
The sleeper bus belonging to Annapurna Travels of Bengaluru left Nittur at night and was coming towards Shivamogga via Nagara, Hosanagar, Ripponpet when it caught fire in the middle of a forest near Arasalu-Sudur.
There were 40 passengers in the bus heading towards Bengaluru. Initially, smoke appeared in the bus due to a technical fault, and the driver lost control of it and crashed into a tree on the side of the road.
Later, the fire broke out and passengers were immediately evacuated. The Ripponpet police arrived at the scene and assisted the passengers. A case has been registered at the Ripponpet police station.