Civic-run AC bus catches fire in Mumbai; no passenger hurt

An air-conditioned bus of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking caught fire in the northern suburb of Kandivali on Thursday evening, but no passenger was hurt in the incident, a civic official said.

The incident took place at around 6 pm at Lokhandwala Complex circle, when the bus was going towards Kranti Nagar from Kandivali (East) station, he said.

The mid-sized bus was of the Daga group and was on wet lease with the BEST civic undertaking on the route no 'A288' , said the official.

Under wet lease, a bus is owned by a private contractor.

As the bus arrived near Alika Nagar Junction, the driver observed sparks emanating from the battery and immediately stopped the vehicle and alerted the passengers to disembark, said a BEST spokesperson.

The bus driver used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames, he said.

There was no casualty in the incident, said the spokesperson, adding Daga group officials later visited the accident site.

“Nobody was hurt in the fire, which was extinguished at around 6.30 pm,” he said.

It was not immediately known how many passengers were on board the bus at the time of the incident, another official said.

The BEST undertaking provides transport services within Mumbai and also in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mira-Bhayandar areas.