Representative Image of a sleeper bus
Credit: iStock
Lucknow: A double-decker AC sleeper bus caught fire near the Revri toll plaza on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway here on Sunday, police said.
No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident, officials said, adding that the blaze was brought under control within an hour.
According to police, the incident occurred around 4:45 am when a 44-seater private sleeper bus travelling from Delhi to Gonda via Lucknow, with 39 passengers on board, suddenly caught fire around 500 metres ahead of the toll plaza.
Police teams and the fire brigade reached the spot after being alerted and all the passengers were safely evacuated, officials said. No one was trapped inside the bus.
According to police, preliminary information from bus driver, Jagat Singh, suggests the fire apparently started in one of the wheels due to unknown reasons, which quickly spread to the rest of the vehicle.
The bus was later removed from the road, and traffic movement returned to normal, they said. The bus owner arranged for an alternative vehicle to ensure that all passengers continued their journey, authorities said.