On Tuesday, a major fire accident involving a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Pallakki bus on the ground within Devaragudda village in Haveri district was reported. A bus heading from Bengaluru to Gadag on the road at Ranebennur taluk caught on fire and was badly burned.
But with a quick warning from the bus driver, 17 people were saved. There were no casualties and no major injuries reported, authorities said. The fire erupted suddenly while the vehicle was travelling. Initial reports indicated that the Pallakki bus was travelling between Bengaluru and Gadag when smoke appeared from it while in motion.
The driver saw a signalling disaster and moved quickly to stop the bus in the street. Before the fire could go further, he told all the people who were on board to get down from the vehicle as quickly as possible. Within minutes, the flames broke out and burned the whole bus. Witnesses said the flames spread quickly, allowing little time for either the vehicle or the luggage to be saved.
A driver's mind saves lives
Both passengers and local people hailed the driver for his fast thinking that prevented a disaster from occurring. If the bus had continued for a few more minutes, it could have been a disaster. Some passengers had carried away only petty items, while others had left their bags, personal effects such as clothing and possessions at the scene of the fire accident. But all riders were glad to have survived that horrific ordeal.
Bus Reduced to Ashes
Despite efforts by transport staff and residents to extinguish the fire, it continued unchecked. In no time span, the Pallakki bus was utterly destroyed, and the burnt remains of it as a result were left behind. From afar, there were photos of great smoke shooting from the burning bus, and shoppers in horror were rushing to gather at the edge of traffic. Traffic on the road was, for all practical purposes, disrupted by the accident.
Police Approach Spot; Investigation Opens
Ranebennur Rural Police Station officers rushed over to the scene, where they inspected. Investigators are working on what led to the fire. At first, they thought there was a technical failure or short circuit in the vehicle, but officials said the cause of the fire didn’t jump off the page until they checked the dashboard closely.
KSRTC officials are also preparing to launch an internal investigation that will examine what occurred and the degree of damage caused by the fire. Before the fire, suspicions had been building for a long time about passenger safety from fire. It has also raised once more the issue that public transport vehicles on long haul routes (combining long-haul traffic) should be located in safe and proper condition.
Passengers have collectively called on the authorities to come and undertake regular inspections, as well as service and maintenance inspections for such accidents. No one died, but the startling visuals of the bus's immediate setting on fire in minutes left locals shocked and passengers nervous.
