Electric bus catches fire near Coimbatore: 21 passengers injured in midnight crash; truck drivers hailed for heroic rescue

COIMBATORE: As many as 21 passengers sustained minor injuries after an electric omnibus heading towards Coimbatore city from Trichy caught fire near Karumathampatti early on Sunday morning.

Two truck drivers stopped their vehicles along the roadside, broke open the glass windows of the bus, and rescued the passengers. Police said a private electric omnibus was heading towards Coimbatore city from Trichy with 24 passengers late Saturday night. Around 2.30 am on Sunday, the bus reached near Karumathampatti in Coimbatore district, where the driver lost control, causing it to hit the centre median and catch fire. Meanwhile, two truck drivers noticed the fire, parked their vehicles along the roadside, broke open the bus’s glass windows, and helped the passengers escape. Other motorists and Karumathampatti police soon reached the spot. Twenty-one passengers who sustained minor injuries were sent to nearby private hospitals. The remaining three passengers, along with the bus driver and conductor, escaped without injuries.

The fire soon spread throughout the bus. Fire and rescue services personnel from Karumathampatti and Sulur fire stations arrived at the scene and doused the flames. The firemen managed to bring the blaze under control. Karumathampatti police have inquired with bus driver A. Pasupathi, 29, from Thandarampet in Tiruvannamalai district, and conductor S. Abishek, 21, a native of Othakkadai in Madurai district. Police officers are also planning to appreciate C. Sabarimalai, 29, and M. Ramesh, 29, from Tiruchuli in Virudhunagar district.