36 people injured in bus fire, one dead
Kolkata. A woman died when a bus going from Kolkata to Paradip in Odisha caught fire on the national highway near Kharagpur in West Midnapore district of West Bengal on Friday evening.
Other passengers were evacuated from the bus, but 36 of them had to be taken to hospital because they became sick from the smoke or were injured after exiting the burning bus.
The deceased woman has been identified as Pushpanjali Das, a resident of Kendrapara district of Odisha. Due to Diwali festival she returned home along with two other family members.
Most of the passengers were found to be migrant traders from Odisha who had come to Kolkata to sell their produce ahead of the two festivals of Kali Puja and Diwali. Lekaniva managed to escape from the burning bus, but all his earnings and property were completely destroyed by the fire.
The local population first started the rescue operation, later members of the local police and fire department also joined in.
Three fire brigade vehicles reached the spot to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire has not been known yet.c
