Bus catches fire in Navi Mumbai; passengers escape unhurt

Thane: Passengers onboard a civic transport service bus had a narrow escape when it caught fire in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai township on Thursday morning, police said.

All the 22 passengers were evacuated safely, and no one was injured, they said. The incident led to a traffic jam in the area for some time.

The bus belonging to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) caught fire at Runwal Chowk in Manpada limits on Kalyan-Shilphata Road at around 10.30 am, the police said.

After being alerted, the driver promptly stopped the vehicle and urged passengers to disembark. He then jumped out to safety, a police official said.

The police quickly stopped traffic on both sides of the road to prevent any eventuality.

Police personnel, with the help of a water tanker, extinguished the fire within 30 minutes, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Pankaj Shirsat said.

After the blaze was brought under control, a crane was deployed to move the charred bus off the road, restoring traffic flow, he said.

"The bus passengers were safely evacuated by the traffic police on patrol, and the fire was extinguished. Traffic on the road has now been restored," Shirsat said.

"Special precautions were taken to ensure the safety of vehicles carrying flammable substances passing through the area," he said.

The bus passengers continued their journeys in private vehicles and auto-rickshaws.