Visakhapatnam: A major tragedy was averted when an RTC bus caught fire in Andhra Pradesh’s Parvatipuram Manyam district on Thursday morning. Thanks to the alert driver, all passengers escaped unhurt before the vehicle went up in flames.
The Odisha RTC bus was traveling from Visakhapatnam to Jeypore when smoke began rising from its engine near Roddavalasa in Pachipenta Mandal around 7:45 a.m. The driver quickly stopped the bus and urged the five passengers on board to get down. Within minutes, fire spread and gutted the vehicle completely.
Firefighters reached the spot soon after and worked to control the blaze, though the bus had already turned to ashes. Police filed a case and began investigating what triggered the fire.
Minister for Women and Child Development and Tribal Welfare Gummadi Sandhya Rani spoke to local officials, ordered an inquiry, and asked for a detailed report on the mishap.
The incident adds to a string of recent bus accidents across the Telugu states. On October 24, a private bus caught fire near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh after running over a motorbike, killing 19 passengers. Another collision on November 3 in Telangana’s Rangareddy district between a Telangana RTC bus and a tipper truck killed 19 people and injured more than 20.
Later that night, a private bus overturned in Eluru district, killing one and injuring 10 others. On November 4, another crash in Sri Sathya Sai district claimed one life and injured eight.
The latest RTC bus catches fire in Andhra Pradesh case has reignited public concern over bus maintenance and road safety in the region. Authorities have urged transport operators to conduct strict checks to prevent more such tragedies.
–IANS
