Bengaluru: Bus catches fire, one burnt alive

Bengaluru: A 56-year-old woman was burnt alive, while four others sustained burns when a moving KSRTC bus caught fire near Arishinakunte off Nelamangala in the early hours of Tuesday. Inflammable material, being carried by a passenger, is suspected to be behind the fire.

The deceased, Bhagyamma, was a resident of Mahadeshwara Temple Road in Peenya. The injured have been identified as Mamatha, 35, from Veerapura village in Hassan, her six-year-old son Yashawanth, Dinesh, 45, of Gandasi of Hassan district, and Padmanabha Shastri, 37, of Shringeri. Mamatha has sustained over 75% burns and her condition is critical.

The bus, carrying around 30 passengers, was coming to Bengaluru. While passing near Arishinakunte around 12.15 am, the fire broke out inside the bus. Driver Umesh Gowda jammed the brakes, while passengers rushed to the door to get out. Some were injured in the melee.

“Most of them managed to get out safely, but Bhagyamma and Mamatha sustained grave injuries as their sarees caught fire. Dinesh got inside the bus again to save them. He pulled Mamatha out, but could not rescue Bhagyamma,” the police said.

A fire tender rushed to the spot and doused the fire. “The fire control room received a call at 12.20 am and a fire tender reached the spot within five minutes. Bhagyamma’s body was still burning and we first put off the fire around her and brought her out. Within 20 minutes, the fire was completely doused,” a fire department official said.

“There was no defect in the bus battery, engine or other wiring as the bus headlamps were still on when we reached the spot. Even the fuel tank was not damaged. We suspect that some passenger carrying inflammable material could have triggered the fire,” he said.

Deceased had attended funeral
Bhagyamma had gone to attend the funeral of a relative. She boarded the bus at Bellur Cross near Nagamangala around 10.15 pm on Monday. She had contacted her son over phone when she reached near Nelamangangala and asked him to bring the vehicle to pick her up near Eighth Mile in Peenya. But her son, who waited till 1 am, got the shocking news when his relative travelling with his mother informed him about the incident.

‘No mechanical defects’                                         
Technical officers claim the bus fire was not because of any mechanical defect. Battery, diesel tank and tyres of the bus were intact. The fire had reportedly originated in the middle of the vehicle.

Did driver not stop immediately?                                   
It is alleged that though the driver noticed smoke, he didn't stop the vehicle immediately and drove for another two kilometres and by that time the fire had spread. However,  Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the driver had stopped the bus the moment he noticed smoke.

Bus was running late
This ill-fated bus (KA 18 F 640) was belonging to KSRTC depot in Chikkamagaluru. It left Sringeri at 3.30 pm and reached Hassan around 8.30 pm. As per the original schedule it was supposed to reach Bengaluru by 12.30 am. But due to the heavy traffic it was delayed by an hour.

20 passengers
According to the officials 20 passengers were inside the bus at the time of fire accident.

Minor injuries
Among the injured passengers, Dinesh (37) and Padmanabha Shastry (55), both residents of Sringeri, were treated as outpatient with 2 per cent burn injuries at a private hospital near Nelamangala.

Compensation hiked
KSRTC has increased the compensation amount to the next of kin of deceased to Rs 5 lakh, from Rs 3 lakh. It has also decided to foot the medical bill of the injured.

Inflammable material in bus?
One of the reasons attributed for the fire is transportation of inflammable materials by one the passengers. According to the primary investigation it was found that a passenger was transporting a bag of copra.

Family staying strong for mother-son duo
Rajamma, the mother of severely injured Mamatha, is trying to stay strong for her daughter and grandson, who were injured when a KSRTC bus caught fire near Nelamangala on the city outskirts on Tuesday. Both Mamatha and her son Yashwanth were rushed to Victoria Hospital’s burns ward. They are stable and are under observation.

Six-year-old Yashwanth is in a shock and tries to make sense of the attention surrounding him. “The mother and son were asleep when the accident occurred,” said Dr Ramesh K.T., Professor and HoD, Department of Plastic surgery, Victoria Hospital, BMCRI. They were returning from a trip to Hassan to visit her family members. “We came to know about the incident after reports in the media and rushed to the hospital. Yashwanth is Mamatha’s only son. She and her husband have parted ways. She took up jobs only to raise her son," said Mamatha’s cousin Mani. The hospital says that the boy is being given grief counselling. But Yashwant wants to go to school. “If allowed, I want to go to school now,” he said.

“They are out of danger, but Mamatha because of severity of injuries will be kept under observation for 2-3 weeks. After that we will start plastic surgery,” Dr Ramesh said.