Bus goes up in flames at Ayyapanthangal

The fire, which started from underneath the vehicle, soon spread to the entire bus. MTC staff on night duty tried to put out the flames by themselves, but in vain. Later, they alerted Poonamallee Fire Station and the firemen brought it under control after an hour-long battle.

However, the bus was entirely gutted.

An investigation is on whether the bus caught fire due to some electrical malfunctioning or due to mischief.

In another incident, about 30 passengers had a narrow escape as a Puducherry bound bus hit the median near Mamallapuram on ECR on Friday.

The incident took place in the evening, leading to a minor traffic snarl in the locality.

The bus, which belongs to Puducherry Transport Corporation, was later removed from the spot with the help of a recovery van.