Jharkhand News: Over 40 Passengers Escape After Bus Erupts in Flames Near Ranchi, Short Circuit Suspected

Ranchi: Bus carrying  passengers  bus caught fire on Saturday evening, fortunately everyone escaped unharmed, said police. The incident took place on Ranchi-Lohardaga highway when the bus was heading to Chatra from the state capital. 

Manoj Karmali, the officer-in-charge of the Mandar police station, told PTI, "There were nearly 45 passengers on the bus, which suddenly caught fire near Mandar Bazar, Fortunately, the bus was stopped in time and the passengers were brought out safely. A fire tender arrived shortly, but by then, local shopkeepers had doused the flame. None of the passengers suffered any injury, nor any major damage was caused to goods," he said.

According to reports, it is suspected that the fire started due to a short circuit near the battery box and spread because of chemical solutions kept in the bus, he added. "The bus has been kept in the police station compound, while an alternative arrangement was made to take the passengers to their destination," Karmali said.

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Following a collision with a two-wheeler and subsequent fire in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district on Friday, killing twenty people, police have summoned the owner of the Bengaluru-bound private bus for questioning about missing safety measures, including fire extinguishers.