Bengaluru-bound electric bus catches fire, no casualities

CHENNAI: A private electric bus gutted in fire on the Chennai-Bangalore Highway near Chembarambakkam on Friday. Luckily no casualties were reported.

A private bus from Koyambedu departed for Bangalore on Friday morning with around 20 passengers.

At 6.30 am when speeding on the Bangalore highway near Chembarambakkam the bus driver applied a sudden brake.

On impact, another private bus, which was coming too close to the electric bus rammed into the vehicle, and the batteries, which were on the rear part got damaged.

Police said soon smoke started to emit from the vehicle and all the passengers started to scream and got down from the bus. Within a few minutes, the bus engulfed in flames.

The villagers tried to control the fire by splashing water from the tanker lorry but since the batteries started to blast they stopped the efforts and informed the fire and rescue team.

Later, the rescue team from Sriperumbudur and Irungattukottai rushed to the spot and put-off the fire.

Police said the bus was entirely gutted in the fire, and all the passengers lost their belongings in it.

The Avadi traffic investigation police have registered a case and further inquiry is on.

Probing cause of fire: Greencell Mobility 

Greencell Mobility, which runs Nuego intercity electric bus services, said they are conducting a thorough investigation after one of their buses caught fire on Friday.

“We are committed to taking all necessary measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. We want to reassure everyone that we remain fully dedicated to delivering safe and dependable transportation services,” the company statement said.

Greencell Mobility said that Friday’s incident occurred due to another bus hitting the rear-end of its bus, resulting in the vehicle catching fire, with no fault on driving parameters

“Due to our rigorous safety measures and the prompt response of our well-trained staff, we were able to disembark the passengers in time with no harm to any passenger during this occurrence. Disembarked passengers received prompt assistance in reaching their intended destinations. Our Coach Captains and Coach Hosts are trained to respond quickly and calmly in emergencies, and today’s incident serves as a testament to the effectiveness of our safety procedures,” it said, noting that their buses are in full compliance with the Central Motor Vehicle Act, and have travelled over 5 crore kilometres without any previous fire incidents.