A woman was burnt to death, while a man received severe burn injuries after the private luxury bus in which they were travelling caught fire and exploded in Gujarat's Surat city on Tuesday night, said officials.
The incident took place in the Varachha area of the city.
Primary investigations revealed there were around 15 passengers in the bus when it caught fire, which spread quickly in the vehicle, said Chief Fire Officer of Surat, Basant Pareek.
"While all other passengers managed to alight in time, a woman and a man got stuck in the burning bus. While the woman was charred to death, the man, who suffered severe burn injuries, was somehow pulled out of the bus by some people," said Mr Pareek.
According to locals, there were very few passengers in the bus when it started its journey towards Bhavnagar from the Katargam area.
When it reached Hirabaug Circle at around 9:30 pm to take more passengers, the bus was engulfed in flames after a sudden spark followed by a blast, said Mr Pareek.
"We believe a spark in the engine area started the blaze. The fire spread after it caused an explosion in the AC compressor of the vehicle. Due to presence of foam and other synthetic materials in the bus, the fire spread very quickly," the officer said.
Watch: 2 Dogs, 2 Lions, And An Almost-Fight In Gujarat He Headed Fire Department After Rajkot Tragedy, Gets Arrested For Bribery Adani Foundation Gets 'Van Pandit Award' for Planting Over 1.7 Lakh Trees In Gujarat 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Independence Day Updates: "75,000 New Seats For Medical Students In Next 5 Years", Says PM Modi Probe Reveals Brazil Plane Crashed One Minute After Pilots Sensed Trouble "Strictest Punishment For Crimes Against Women": PM Amid Kolkata Protests "Working To Reduce Government Interference In People's Lives": PM Modi Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.