MAPUSA: 29 tourists had a narrow escape as the bus transporting them to Arambol caught fire at Cunchelim. Luckily, no injuries were reported.
Mapusa Fire station sub officer Dnyaneshwar Sawant said that the Control Room received a call at 10:22 am informing them about the incident and immediately fire service officials rushed to the spot.
However by the time the team could reach the area, the driver used the emergency fire extinguisher and managed to douse off the flames. The fire personnel then put off the flames completely and brought the situation under control.
The bus bearing registration number GA07-G- 8101 was taking tourists to Arambol from the airport via Cuchelim-Sodiem.
The owner claimed a loss of Rs 70,000 while the team managed to save property worth Rs 30 lakh.
The cause of fire is suspected to be short circuit in battery.
The duty crew Dnyaneshwar Sawant, Prakash Kannaik, Govind Dessai, Dattaraj Chari and Vishwanath Korgaonkar were part of the team that fought the flames.