Hyderabad: An Air India bus caught fire on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) service road near Pedda Amberpet while en route from Shamshabad Airport to the TATA service centre on Tuesday afternoon.
However, officials confirmed that there were no casualties or injuries in the incident, as the driver and cleaner managed to jump out of the vehicle in time. Officials also confirmed that the bus was not carrying any passengers.
They added that preliminary investigations suggested the incident occurred due to overheating of the vehicle’s engine, which led to flames erupting from the bus.
“The bus was moving along the service road near Koheda when the driver noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was immediately stopped, and the driver evacuated before the fire spread further. Preliminary findings indicate mechanical overheating in the engine compartment,” said P Nageshwar Rao, Ibrahimpatnam fire station officer (SFO).
Upon receiving information about the incident, firefighters rushed to the scene. They launched an operation to control the flames, preventing the fire from spreading to nearby vehicles and the surrounding area.
Officials said the extent of property loss and damage to the vehicle is currently being assessed by the authorities. Traffic flow on the road was affected for some time before police arrived and cleared the congestion.