Overview

• A private luxury bus traveling from Mumbai to Malvan caught fire near the Kashedi tunnel area around 2 a.m. Sunday, officials said.
• The driver applied emergency brakes and alerted passengers after a tyre burst, enabling everyone to disembark safely.
• A blast occurred in the diesel tank after the evacuation, according to police, as the fire spread through the bus.
• Firefighters doused the blaze by about 3 a.m. after traffic on both sides of the Mumbai–Goa highway was halted and later resumed.
• No injuries were reported, passengers’ belongings were destroyed, officials arranged alternative vehicles for onward travel, and a case was registered at Poladpur police station.