Agile driver averts tragedy as bus catches fire; 52 kids unhurt

Fifty-two schoolchildren were evacuated from a BMTC bus moments before it caught fire. The incident occurred near Shivahalli, off Mudigere, in Channapatna taluk of Ramanagaram district on Saturday. The bus was taking the students of BEL School, Jalahalli, to Srirangapatna and Talakadu on an excursion. The school had rented the bus attached to the BMTC’s depot number 8 in Yeshwantpur. A teacher was travelling with the students.

The driver, Sudarshan, was quick to notice smoke billowing from the engine. He pulled in and asked the students and the teacher to get off the bus. They did as told, and the bus caught fire in no time. Passersby called the jurisdictional Channapatna Rural police station. Police and firefighters arrived at the spot. The fire was put out after sometime.

Traffic disrupted
The incident disrupted traffic on the busy Bengaluru-Mysuru highway for half an hour. Traffic resumed partially after the bus was moved to the roadside. A senior police officer said the children were accommodated in other buses that were carrying the remaining students from the same school. He lauded the driver’s quick thinking, saying that had he driven on, there would have been a major accident. Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was caused by short circuit. Police have asked the BMTC authorities to examine the bus and submit a report.