Tourist bus catches fire near Mundakayam, all passengers safe

A tourist bus carrying 40 passengers was completely gutted, near Mundakayam, in Kottayam in the early hours of Tuesday.

The bus was returning from a pilgrimage to Tamil Nadu after departing from Kochi recently.

The bus had left Madurai at 10.30 p.m. and had reached Mundakayam around 3.30 a.m. when a tyre at the rear burst, causing a fire. The driver immediately stopped the vehicle and smoke was seen rising from the bus. Passengers were quickly evacuated and within minutes, the bus was engulfed in flames.

Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Kanjirappally arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. The bus, however, was completely destroyed. Most of the passengers were from Ernakulam and Kottayam districts. No injuries were reported. The stranded passengers were later accommodated in another bus to continue their journey.