Patna, Aug 5 (IANS): Twenty passengers on a luxury AC bus narrowly escaped after the vehicle caught fire in Bihar’s Kishanganj district on Monday afternoon.

The incident occurred at the Kharga flyover around 1:20 p.m. while the bus, belonging to Sumit Travels, was en route from Siliguri to Purnea.

The driver noticed smoke coming out from the gearbox and he immediately alerted the passengers who quickly got out from the bus.

A passenger recounted, “The driver immediately stopped the vehicle as soon as he saw smoke coming from the gearbox. He asked the passengers to get down from the vehicle. As soon as we stepped down the bus was engulfed like a fireball. The luggage of the passengers was gutted in the mishap."

The bus started its journey from Siliguri bus stand around 11 a.m. on Monday, reaching the Kishanganj bus depot around 1 p.m. The fire broke out shortly after the bus resumed its journey from Kishanganj to Purnea.

The SHO of the Sadar police station Sandeep Kumar, stated, “The firefighters arrived with the fire engines as soon as they were informed about the incident. They worked hard to douse the flames.”

This incident has raised serious concerns about the maintenance of the buses.

The state transport department has issued several guidelines for private and government bus operators to ensure the safety and proper maintenance of their vehicles.

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