The fire at a sleeper bus in Greater Noida that killed nine people was caused after a spark in the bus’s air-conditioning system set the engine lubricating oil ablaze, police have said.
What police said
“By the time the driver stopped the vehicle, the fire broke out and quickly engulfed the vehicle. Senior police officers, local police teams, rescue tenders and four fire service units rushed to the spot after receiving the information and carried out the firefighting and rescue operation. The Bihar-registered bus was travelling from Noida to Mahoba with 35 passengers onboard. There were 35 passengers onboard. Chief fire officer of Gautam Buddh Nagar , Pradeep Kumar, said the bus was travelling from Kashmere Gate in Delhi towards Mahoba when it suddenly caught fire near the 33-kilometre milestone on the Yamuna Expressway, within the Jewar police station limits. Kumar said 20 to 25 people were rescued from the bus.
“the fire broke out after a spark or blast in the bus’s AC caused the engine lubricating oil to catch fire, allowing the flames to spread rapidly, according to Greater Noida police. Nine people, including a woman, failed to escape,” Singh said. A passenger who escaped told ANI that many people were sleeping when the fire broke out.
The incident took place around 11pm on Wednesday near Dayanatpur village in Jewar, on the Yamuna Expressway.
A case will be registered and a detailed investigation launched to establish the exact cause of the fire and examine whether any safety lapses contributed to the tragedy, police said.
