Kottayam: A Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus operating under its Budget Tourism cell was completely destroyed by fire in the early hours of Wednesday while on a trip on the Punalur–Muvattupuzha stretch of highway in Kottayam district. The incident occurred at around 4 am, near Cheruvally, close to Manimala. No one was injured.

There were around 35 tour-goers on board the bus, which was travelling from Malappuram to Gavi in Pathanamthitta district. Fire and rescue personnel from Kanjirapally rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze, but the bus was totally gutted.

The driver was alerted to the fire by the driver of another vehicle, who noticed flames spreading on the bus. This timely warning enabled the passengers to be evacuated quickly, helping avert a major tragedy. A replacement bus from the Ponkunnam depot was arranged, and the passengers were taken to Ranni.

A similar incident occurred earlier this month when a KSRTC Swift bus travelling from Bengaluru to Kozhikode was gutted by fire near Mysuru.