Gorakhpur, 25th February 2024: In a harrowing incident on Saturday evening, a sleeper bus carrying 45 passengers from Gurugram to Supaul in Bihar caught fire due to a short circuit at Bokta intersection . The chaos that ensued saw all passengers, as well as the driver and conductor, hastily jumping from the bus to escape the flames. Everyone’s belongings were consumed by the fire.
The incident occurred when the bus, belonging to a transporter from Moradabad district, reached the Bokta intersection of Gida at 6 pm on Saturday. Smoke was noticed near the engine, and before the passengers could grasp the situation, a fire broke out near the bonnet.
The panic inside the bus was palpable. The quick response of the driver and conductor led to the safe evacuation of passengers, although some suffered minor injuries while jumping from the bus, leaving their belongings behind. Passers-by promptly informed the Gida police station, and along with a fire engine, they arrived at the scene, closing the traffic on the Lucknow side of the highway to ensure safety.
It took the fire brigade approximately 30 minutes of intense effort to bring the fire under control. Despite their swift response, the passengers’ luggage was tragically destroyed by the flames. SP North Jitendra Kumar Srivastava stated that the fire originated from a short circuit, and Gida police have taken the bus into custody.
Remarkably, there were no casualties reported, and all passengers were safely transported to their destinations in another vehicle later that night. The incident caused a temporary standstill in vehicular traffic on the Lucknow side of the highway, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and the challenges faced by both passengers and authorities in averting a potential disaster.
