60 passengers safely rescued

In a dramatic incident early on Saturday morning, a BEST bus traveling from Mumbai to Magathane to Thane station caught fire near Pyna Wine Shop in the Kasarvadvali police station area of Thane. Fortunately, all 60 to 65 passengers onboard were safely rescued, with no reported casualties.

The mishap occurred around 1:16 am when the bus's tyre liner overheated, leading to a sudden blaze. The driver, identified as Jeevan Jayaji Poyrekar, and the conductor, Arvind Premdutt Mishra, acted swiftly upon noticing the fire. They promptly halted the bus near Navratna Hotel, Kasarvadvali signal side, opposite Pyna Wine Shop, and evacuated the passengers who were traveling in the bus.

Authorities were alerted immediately, and both traffic police officers and disaster management personnel rushed to the scene to assist. With the collaborative efforts of the bus driver and conductor, firefighters, the fire was brought under control, averting a potential tragedy.

According to the Disaster Management Department, there were no casualties reported in the incident, highlighting the effectiveness of the timely response and coordinated rescue efforts. The incident occurred around 10:16 am within the jurisdiction of Kasarvadvali police station.

The exact cause of the tyre overheating leading to the fire is yet to be determined, and investigations are underway, said an official.