Narrow escape for 40 as TGRTC electric bus catches fire

More than 40 passengers had a narrow escape when an electric bus in which they were travelling caught fire in Telangana’s Karimnagar district on Sunday.

The accident occurred near Alugunur in Timmapur mandal when the bus belonging to Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) was heading to Hyderabad from Karimnagar.

According to police, when the bus reached near Alugunur, smoke emanated from the bus engine. The driver immediately stopped the bus and alerted the passengers, who immediately got down from the bus.

The vehicle was engulfed in flames within no time. A fire engine rushed to the spot and doused the fire. However, the entire bus was gutted in the accident.

There are a total of 41 passengers in the bus. TGSRTC authorities heaved a sigh of relief as the accident did not result in any loss of life.

The cause of the fire was not known. Police registered a case and took up the investigation.

TGSRC has lost a few electric buses in similar accidents in recent times. An electric bus was gutted after catching fire at a bus depot in Hanumakonda on March 29. The incident occurred due to a short circuit when the bus was parked at the depot for washing.

Meanwhile, a container vehicle overturned in Telangana’s Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district on Sunday, leading to a massive traffic jam on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway.

The incident occurred at Borralagudem Stage in Choutuppal mandal. There were no casualties.

However, as the truck overturned in the middle of the road, it blocked the busy highway, causing a heavy traffic jam.

Vehicular traffic coming to Hyderabad from Vijayawada in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh came to a complete halt.

The container truck, carrying solar energy equipment, was heading to Chennai.

Senior police officials rushed to the spot. They deployed two cranes to remove the truck from the highway.

Meanwhile, police diverted traffic at a few points, providing some relief to motorists.