Luxury bus catches fire on Mumbai-Goa highway; 44 passengers escape unhurt

NEW DELHI: As many as forty-four passengers had a narrow escape after a private luxury bus caught fire on the Mumbai-Goa highway near Kashedi tunnel in Maharashtra’s Raigad district around 2am on Sunday, police said. The bus was travelling from Mumbai to Malvan in Sindhudurg when one of its tyres burst near Poladpur, triggering a fire. The driver immediately applied emergency brakes and asked passengers to get down, ensuring they alighted safely. Within minutes, the fire spread to other parts of the vehicle and a blast occurred in its diesel tank. However, all passengers had already moved to safety.

Police and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot, halted traffic on both sides of the highway, and managed to douse the blaze by 3 am. Vehicular movement later resumed. A case has been registered at Poladpur police station, and a probe is underway, officials added.