Crowded bus erupts in flames in Kharghar

Bus no 53, which burst into flames on Wednesday. Fortunately no one was hurt in the incident

A major tragedy was narrowly averted in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai when a fully loaded bus, carrying more than 60 passengers, suddenly burst into flames, following the emergence of a plume of smoke, on Wednesday. Fortunately, all passengers, the driver and the conductor managed to escape before the fire engulfed the entire bus in a matter of minutes.

Sources indicate that the bus is an Ashok Leyland variant, procured by Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) in 2016-17. Prior to this incident, fires had broken out on buses of the same model twice, according to an NMMT insider. "The incident has prompted an inquiry to determine the fire's cause. We've summoned the team of the company concerned to submit their report alongside our internal investigation," stated Yogesh Kaduskar, the NMMT transport manager.

Danish Khan, a third-year student at Ramsheth Thakur College in Kharghar, recounted, "I boarded the bus at my college in Sector 33, and as we approached Sector 15 around 11.40 am, smoke began emanating from the driver's cabin. Panicked, everyone hurriedly disembarked. Since all the seats were occupied, approximately 50-60 passengers were standing in the middle row. I managed to exit, and within a minute, massive flames engulfed the bus; fortunately, with no one trapped inside."

Shankerlal Patel, a scrap dealer in Sector 15, said, "The bus halted near my scrap shop, and everyone rushed to disembark as smoke billowed from the driver's cabin. Within minutes, the entire vehicle was ablaze. Firefighters arrived within 10 minutes and extinguished the flames. Thankfully, no one sustained injuries during the incident."

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Following the incident, the bus was transported to the NMMT garage, where officials inspected it to determine the origin of the smoke and ascertain if any foul play was involved. "This is the Jan bus variant of Ashok Leyland, and before this, two more buses of the same variant experienced fires and smoke. Similar incidents have occurred in Thane and Kalyan," revealed an NMMT officer.

Bus driver Hanmand Ghorpade said, "Smoke began emanating from the bonnet and near my legs. An alert passenger noticed it and promptly informed the conductor and me. We immediately halted the bus near the Garkul bus stop and alerted the passengers. Since they were young college students, everyone disembarked swiftly. It's possible that a short circuit triggered the fire, though I can't be certain. By the grace of God, all of us survived."

Ghorpade also mentioned that there were fire extinguishers on the bus, but there wasn't enough time to use them. Some passengers attempted to use them, but they didn't function properly. The Kharghar police have recorded a general case diary of the incident, and no complaints have been filed against anyone regarding the incident. The bus, numbered 53, was en route from Valley Shilp Kharghar to Kharghar railway station, a journey that typically takes 30 minutes.