Pilgrims travelling to Uttarakhand for 'Char Dham Yatra' in a private bus from Maharashtra's Buldhana town had a providential escape when their vehicle suddenly caught fire on Friday here in Madhya Pradesh and was completely gutted, officials said.
No one was injured in the incident which took place in the afternoon as passengers quickly came out of the bus, which was totally gutted, a police official said.
A total of 30 passengers, including eight children, were on-board the ill-fated bus when it caught fire near Kolaras town in Shivpuri district, Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Vijay Yadav said.
As soon as the travellers noticed smoke emanating in the bus, they immediately came out, a woman passenger said.
Later, the bus was engulfed in flames which were doused by a fire tender, Yadav said, adding it appears the blaze was caused by an electrical short-circuit.
The luggage of the passengers bound for Uttarakhand was damaged in the fire, the official added.
A total of 60 passengers in two private buses had left from Buldhana town on May 15 for the popular pilgrimage to four sacred Hindu sites located in the Himalayas, he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
15-Year-Old Girl Raped By Truck Driver In Madhya Pradesh Forest: Police Madhya Pradesh Minister Ramniwas Rawat Loses Vijaypur Bypoll Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Praises Israel's "Technical Excellence" For Pager Attack How Ajit Pawar Holds The Key To D Fadnavis vs E Shinde Chief Minister Race Bengaluru Cop Accused Of Stripping Businesswoman Who Died By Suicide Nana Patole Quits As Maharashtra Congress Chief After Poll Rout Earth's Rotation Has Tilted 31.5 Inches And Humans Are To Blame Chinese Pizza Hut Sells Pizza With Deep-Fried Frog On Top, Internet Reacts Mahindra XEV 9e, BE 6e Launching Tomorrow: All You Must Know Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.