Bus catches fire, three charred to death near Hubballi

HUBBALI 27 July, 2016: Three passenger travelling in a private bus charred to death after the bus caught fire on the Pune-Bengaluru highway near Hubballi. The mishap occurred on Wednesday early morning at Varur village which located about 10 km from Hubballi. The ill fated bus belonging to Durgamba Travel Company had 16 passengers on board and three crew was travelling between Bengaluru and Dharwad. The fire was noticed by one of the woman passengers who alerted the drivers and other passengers. The driver pulled the bus to the side even as the passengers rushed to exit door. The injured passengers said that the fire spread over entire bus in no time and three people could not get out of their seats. The incident also left eight passengers, who are now being treated at various hospitals. Four of the injured with serious burns were shifted to KLE Hospital in Belgavi. All the eight injured were treated at KIMS hospital in Hubballi. The medical officers said that condition of some of the injured passengers is critical as they have suffered internal burns. The Police suspect short circuit for the reason, but some of the injured passengers claimed that one of the passengers at the back seat had lit a cigarette minutes before the mishap occurred. Police said that the identification of dead could not be possible as the bodies charred badly. An autopsy will be conducted on Wednesday afternoon at the KIMS hospital in Hubballi. The DNA testing will be done to identify the deceased, said the doctors. Police said that two families have come forward stating that their relatives were not among the injured persons. The relatives of Suresh Hegade and Shashikumar Kavalagi have now waiting at the hospital for the autopsy and identification of charred bodies Earlier there were reports of chemical content that was being carried in the bus could be cause for fire. However the police have ruled out such possibilities. Police Commissioner of Hubballi-Dharwad Pandurang Rane said that though some chemical boxes were found in the bus, there had not caught fire. Indian Express