Bus catches fire on highway in Maharashtra; no injuries reported

Representative image

Thirty passengers narrowly escaped getting injured when an air-conditioned Shivshahi bus caught fire on the Pune-Satara route in Maharashtra on Tuesday afternoon, reported PTI.

According to the news agency report, the incident happened at about 1:50 pm near Vadhefata, near Satara, on the Swargate-Sangli road. According to a representative for the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, the fire started when the bus's left rear tyre blew.

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The 30 passengers and two crew members on board were evacuated safely, with no injuries recorded. However, the fire caused damage to the bus worth roughly Rs 25 lakh.

The MSRTC, one of India's largest public transport operators, has a fleet of approximately 15,000 buses and serves 60 million passengers every day.

MSRTC bus crashes in metro pier in Thane

On Tuesday, a bus operated by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) crashed with a metro pillar at the Ghodbunder Channel before reaching the Owale signal in Thane. The crash occurred in front of the Sai Hotel. Of the 13 passengers travelling in the bus en route Borivali from Ambejogai, eight sustained injuries.

Authorities believe that the bus collided with a metro pillar; reportedly, the ST bus smashed into the pier of the under-construction Metro Green Line 4. Police personnel and officials of the district administration were present at the spot.

The eight injured were admitted to Titan Hospital and Brahmanda Hospital for treatment.

The injured persons were K Adsul, the bus driver. He sustained previous injuries to his left hand, and the bus conductor Chate had a minor injury to his right hand. Uddhav Choure (65), aboard the bus, suffered injuries to his lips and teeth while Urmila Choure (55) was stranded. Other persons who were injured were Saleem Sheikh (58), Atmaram Shejul (49 years), Rajashree Shejul (42) and Akanksha Shejul.

MSRTC bus services resume as workers' call off strike after salary hike assurance

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation spokesperson, on September 5 morning, said that regular operations across all depots in the state have resumed. On September 4 evening, the workers of MSRTC called off their strike after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured them of a salary hike--one of their primary demands.