Mangaluru: A major tragedy was averted after a KSRTC bus travelling from Subrahmanya to Bengaluru caught fire near Ermayi on the Kaikamba-Gundya road in Dakshina Kannada late Saturday night.

The bus, operated from the B.C. Road depot, was carrying 37 passengers when the driver noticed smoke and flames while the vehicle was moving. He immediately stopped the bus and alerted the passengers, allowing all of them to evacuate safely.

The fire soon spread rapidly and completely gutted the bus. Fire and police personnel were alerted and reached the spot to bring the situation under control. No injuries or casualties were reported.

A short circuit is suspected to have triggered the fire, though the exact cause is yet to be officially established.