Odisha-bound bus catches fire in West Bengal, 36 passengers hospitalized 

A bus coming from Babu Ghat in Kolkata to Odisha's Paradip reportedly caught fire near Kharagpur on Friday night. 

Though the number of passengers in the bus is yet to be ascertained, sources informed that 36 passengers were rescued and admitted to Midnapur Medical College and Hospital and Kharagpur Gramin Hospital. 

According to sources, the bus left Babughat at around 7 or 7.30 pm. While heading towards Odisha on NH 41, it suddenly caught fire near Madhpur under Kharagpur Police limits.

Locals reportedly came to the rescue of the passengers and rushed 31 injured passengers to hospitals. Later, five more passengers were rescued and were admitted to nearby hospitals. 

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Till the time of filing of this report, two fire tenders were pressed into service to control the fire, while policemen from the nearby police station reached the spot.

As per reports, the driver and the helper of the ill-fated bus fled from the spot immediately after the vehicle caught fire. Once they are traced, details like how the bus caught fire and how many passengers were travelling can be ascertained, informed sources.