Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
A private bus travelling from Raver to Pune caught fire due to a short circuit on the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar–Jalgaon Highway in the Ajanta Ghat on Friday at around 10 pm. Smoke began to fill the bus, causing panic among the 50 passengers. Fortunately, since the bus stopped on the roadside, a major disaster was averted.
The private bus (MH 19 CX 3335) from Raver in Jalgaon district was passing through the ghat around 10 pm, when a short circuit caused smoke and fire inside the bus. Within moments, smoke filled the entire bus, creating chaos among the 50 passengers. The driver carefully slowed down the bus, which eventually stopped after hitting a rock on the roadside. All passengers quickly evacuated. The driver used the fire extinguisher on the bus to control the fire immediately.
Due to the cold night and the remote ghat location, the passengers faced considerable difficulty. After about one and a half hours, another private bus arrived from Jalgaon, and all 50 passengers continued their journey to Pune in the second bus. Traffic on this route was temporarily disrupted due to the incident.
Truck skids into a drain
In recent days, incidents in the above Ghat have increased. After Friday’s incident, a truck travelling from Andhra Pradesh to Bhusawal had brake failure and slid into a drain on Saturday around 5.30 pm. A major disaster was again averted. Since the incident occurred on the roadside, traffic was not affected. Heavy traffic on the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar–Jalgaon Highway has increased recently, contributing to a rise in such incidents.