Udupi: Fear geared up among the passengers after a sudden fire broke out in the engine of Bhatkal-Mangaluru KSRTC bus, after which the passengers were shifted to ply in an alternate bus.

According to sources, as the Volvo bus reached near Udupi city bus stand, people saw that the back of the bus had caught fire and smoke was seen rising from the engine space. Noticing the fire and smoke coming out, people in the area informed drivers and voluntarily came ahead and rubbed out the fire through the water. Fortunately, all the passengers came out of the bus safely and no kind of casualty and financial loss occurred.

Around 15 passengers were plying in the bus at the time of the incident, who were then made to travel Mangaluru through an alternate bus. The reason behind the sudden fire was not known. The bus was then sent to KSRTC depo for testing.