Visakhapatnam: As many as 32 passengers had a close shave after a bus carrying them from Odisha caught fire on the National Highway-5 at Paikaraopeta near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.
Though the exact reason behind the fire has not been ascertained, short-circuit is suspected to be the cause behind the mishap.
All the passengers including the driver and helper of the bus, which was en-route to Goa from Odisha with the labourers, were rescued safely, sources said.
According to reports, the driver of the bus first detected smoke billowing out of the bus. Soon after, he alerted the passengers after parking the vehicle besides the road. The passengers jumped off the bus and ran away to safe place.
Local police rushed to the spot and informed the fire brigade personnel to extinguish the blaze.
Police said the fire fighter team took around an hour to douse the flame. "The bus is completely burnt. An investigation has been launched to find out the reason of the fire," said a police official.