Passengers of a Panaji-Mundargi bus of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) had a providential escape after the vehicle caught fire post collision with a truck near Kalmani village on the Belagavi-Chorla state highway during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Four passengers suffered minor burn injuries while both the vehicles were charred.
The bus had left Panaji in Goa at about 8 pm on Monday for Mundargi. Just as it was crossing Kalmani at about 12.30 am on Tuesday, it collided with a truck. Impact of the collision was such that diesel tank of the bus burst and both the vehicles caught fire.
The bus' driver and conductor strived hard to get the 21 passengers in the vehicle out to safety. About four of them, who were asleep, suffered minor injuries until they realised they were being asked to get out of the vehicle.
Personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services, who arrived after 1 am, took five hours to bring the fire under control.
The accident led in the traffic on the Belagavi-Chorla road getting affected for about eight hours.
The Khanapur police have registered a case.
Published 24 September 2019, 06:10 IST