Pathanamthitta: A KSRTC bus on the Sabarimala pilgrimage route caught fire early Sunday morning. The incident took place around 5.30 am at the 30th hairpin bend in the forested stretch between Chalakkayam and Nilakkal.

The empty bus was travelling from Pampa to Nilakkal to pick up pilgrims. The vehicle was stopped by the driver upon noticing smoke. While the vehicle sustained partial damage, no injuries were reported. Firefighting teams from Pampa and Nilakkal responded swiftly to extinguish the blaze. Devaswom Board member A. Ajikumar visited the site following the incident.