Nagpur: All 35 passengers travelling in a private bus escaped unhurt after its rear tyre reportedly burst and triggered a fire near Butibori around 9 pm on Friday. The vehicle, operated by Rajasthan Travels, was completely gutted, with the passengers’ luggage also destroyed.
The passengers managed to get off the bus in time,” said Nishant Meshram, senior police inspector of Butibori police station. The bus was travelling from Bengaluru to Gorakhpur on the Chandrapur-Butibori route when the tyre burst occurred near the Borkhedi railway area. The fire quickly spread through the vehicle, prompting all passengers to evacuate. The Butibori MIDC fire brigade rushed to the spot, but by the time firefighters arrived, the bus was fully engulfed. “Fortunately, no one was injured in the mishap. The passengers could not retrieve their belongings as the bus was gutted in the incident. The episode also disrupted traffic on the route for some time. Butibori police have started a probe, while Nagpur rural RTO, led by regional transport officer Vijay Chavhan, has also initiated an inquiry. The agencies are examining the circumstances leading to the tyre burst and whether there were any safety or vehicle fitness-related issues.