A routine overnight journey from Surathkal to Bengaluru turned into a nightmare for Vaishnavi and her 10-year-old daughter when the private bus they were traveling in caught fire near Shantigrama in Hassan district early Saturday. The woman credits a falling air conditioning vent with saving their lives.
Details of the Incident
Vaishnavi boarded the bus at 9:30 p.m. on Friday with her daughter, occupying lower berths 8 and 9. After working on her laptop until the bus entered the ghat section where network connectivity dropped, she went to sleep. At around 1:30 a.m., she shut her laptop and slept. An hour later, the bus stopped somewhere in Hassan, and she noticed the driver and cleaner moving around as if something was wrong. She told the Times of India, "We felt the crew may have sensed an issue but still decided to continue since Bengaluru was less than 200 km away."
The bus resumed its journey but stopped again near Shantigrama. Within moments, panic erupted. "Smoke started entering the bus. But the crew did not shout or ask passengers to leave," she said. "The moment that probably saved my life was when the AC vent suddenly fell on my face and woke me up completely. That is when I could smell the smoke strongly."
Escape and Aftermath
As passengers urged the driver to stop, Vaishnavi woke her daughter and rushed out. "We had no slippers, no bags, nothing. I only had my phone because I usually keep it in my pocket while traveling through the ghat section. Everything else — my laptop, purse with important cards, jewelry, clothes — was inside," she said. As flames engulfed the bus, she screamed for passengers to get out before dragging her daughter to safety. "I ran as far as I could thinking the bus might explode. At that moment, I only wanted to save my child," she added.
She later saw passengers still scrambling out as passing motorists, bus drivers, and locals rushed to help with water and fire extinguishers. Fire and Emergency Services personnel arrived around 3:15 a.m. "My clothes smelled of smoke. I could still hear sounds and felt like smoke was everywhere around me," she recalled. With most Bengaluru-bound buses full due to the peak travel season, some buses offered standing space to stranded passengers. Eventually, Vaishnavi and her daughter boarded a KSRTC Sarige bus. "I had no money in hand. I held my daughter tightly all the way to Bengaluru, trying to hold back my tears. She was still in shock. Only after reaching home did I break down completely," she said.
Vaishnavi lost her documents, jewelry, clothes, and laptop. Her daughter had also carried her dance costume and jewelry after recently completing her junior dance exam to perform before family. "We are grateful to have escaped alive, but strongly feel that the crew should have warned passengers earlier," she said.
About the Author: Deepthi Sanjiv is Deputy Chief of Bureau at TOI, Mangaluru, covering crime, environment, health, politics, education, civic issues, art and culture, and human interest stories.
