Bengaluru-bound bus goes up in flames on Shirady Ghat, all passengers safe

MANGALURU/HASSAN: Presence of mind by a KSRTC driver saved lives of around 30 passengers bound for Bengaluru after the bus they were travelling in suddenly went up in flames due to short circuit, in Shirady Ghats, near here on Saturday.
The incident occurred around 11.45 am, according to police personnel of Sakleshpur rural police station. KSRTC bus, which was carrying 30 passengers from Dharamsthala to Bengaluru started billowing smoke in its engine, when it reached Shirady Ghat.
Alerted by this, bus driver immediately asked every passenger to alight from the vehicle.As soon as all got down out of the bus, the entire bus just parked on the shoulder of the road went up in flames. Firefighters and KSRTC officials were called in to douse the fire and to find out reason for the accident.
Soon after the incident, video of the bus going up in flame started circulating in social media platforms. The callous manner in which many vehicles drove past the burning bus even as passengers who had alighted from the bus warned them not to do so, told its own story. Vehicles that negotiated the billowing smoke emanating from the bus also risked ramming in to oncoming vehicles.
One voice in the video clearly hinted at the lurking danger in case the diesel tank of the bus were to explode.
No case has been registered.