Taliparamba: Around 10 to 15 passengers had a narrow escape after a private passenger bus caught fire while moving on the Taliparamba-Iritty state highway on Friday.

The incident occurred around 12.50 pm at Valakkai, about 15 km from Taliparamba.

Fire and Rescue personnel said the driver of the ‘Thelakkadans’ bus first sensed a burning smell, after which he saw smoke rising from near the gearbox. He immediately pulled the bus over and, along with the conductor, asked the passengers to get off the vehicle before checking the source of the smoke.

The crew tried to contain the fire with an onboard extinguisher, but the flames quickly spread through the bus and engulfed it within minutes. A team from the Taliparamba Fire and Rescue Services rushed to the spot and doused the blaze, but by then the bus was gutted. 

“No one was injured. There were around 10 to 15 passengers on board when the fire broke out,” said K V Rajan, an office-bearer of the CITU Motor Workers’ Union, Taliparamba division. The quick thinking of the driver averted what could have been a major tragedy, he said.

“The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but we suspect a short circuit could be the reason for the fire,” said Assistant Station Officer Hari Narayanan, who led the rescue team.