Passenger bus with 25 passengers caught fire on NH-16 in Bally

Rush-hour horror struck on National Highway-16 in Howrah’s Bally today when a packed Dhulagarh-Nayabad route bus suddenly burst into flames while cruising at full speed. Today near Bally Halt area, thick black smoke started pouring out from the engine, forcing the bus driver to slam the brakes in the middle of the road. Within seconds the front of the bus was engulfed in fire, trapping atleast 25 terrified passengers, including school kids and office-goers, inside the blazing vehicle. The Traffic Police team sprang into action on noticing the fire.

Spotting the smoke, he dashed to the bus, banged on the doors and windows, and with the help of other traffic staffs and passers-by pulled every single passenger out to safety in less than two minutes. Many travellers later said that without his lightning-fast response they would have been trapped as the flames spread rapidly towards the passenger area.

Two fire engines reached the spot soon after and fought the blaze for almost 40 minutes before bringing it fully under control. Preliminary checks points to an electrical short circuit as the cause. The charred bus was later towed away and traffic on the busy highway returned to normal. Commuters and locals have showered praise the Howrah traffic police team, calling their courage the reason a major tragedy was averted.