Bus catches fire in Mumbai’s Matunga area, all passengers evacuated; only smoke, says MSRTC

A ‘Shivshahi’ bus of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) caught fire near Matunga police station in Mumbai on Saturday, an official said.

No one was hurt as all passengers onboard were evacuated safely in time, he said.

The incident occurred on Dr BA Road around 6 pm, he added.

“Two fire engines doused the blaze in 35 minutes. All 30-40 passengers were evacuated safely. There is no report of injury to anyone,” he added. An MSRTC spokesperson claimed there was no fire on the bus except for smoke coming out of the AC ducts.

Due to the smoke, panic spread among the passengers, he said.

He said the Shivshahi bus from Parel depot was plying on the Dadar-Pune route with 26 passengers, who alerted the driver about the smoke.

A police towing van behind the bus broke the emergency window and rescued two to three passengers, while the rest were taken out through the main door, he said, adding that a short circuit in the AC fuse appeared to have caused the smoke.