Mumbai BEST Bus Fire: Bus of Same Model as Kurla Accident Catches Fire; No Injuries Reported

A leased electric bus of the same model involved in the recent Kurla accident of the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking (BEST) was evacuated in the Byculla area of Mumbai on Tuesday afternoon, December 31, after smoke was noticed coming out of its overhead battery, reported news agency PTI.

All the passengers were safe following the fire incident. The bus was plying on route 126 and was on its way to Jijamata Udyan. The incident took place around 1.15 pm on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road. The bus could have hit the overhead portion of an under-construction bridge, a source said, adding that the exact cause of the smoke was yet to be ascertained.

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The bus was manufactured by Olectra, the same firm that had manufactured the bus involved in a major accident in Kurla earlier this month, the official said. BEST hires most of its e-buses on a wet-lease basis from private contractors. A fire brigade official said a fire engine was rushed to the spot on receiving a call. Further information was awaited.

On September 30, a BEST bus from Dharavi depot plying on route 303 between Bandra Station (East) to Mulund (East) caught fire at Gandhi Nagar junction in Ghatkopar.