Policemen, others rescue 50 from burning bus

New Delhi, Nov 29 (IANS) In a brave act, a team of Delhi police personnel and some other persons acted promptly to rescue nearly 50 members, mostly women, of a marriage party from a burning bus on the Haryana-Delhi border early on Wednesday, police said.

The bus was carrying around 45-50 persons returning from the wedding ceremony in Haryana's Faridabad to Delhi's Jaitpur area when it caught fire around 1.30 a.m. near the Surajkund border police picket.

"The front side of the bus caught fire and its automatic doors got locked," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Chinmoy Biswal.

"A police team, led by Pul Prahladpur police station personnel, ground staff of Badarpur border and some people there reacted immediately and rescued all passengers from the bus by breaking its glass windows.

"The action was so prompt that the rescue work was done before the Police Control Room received the call. Two fire tenders later reached the spot and doused the fire but the bus was completely burnt," Biswal said.

All the passengers are residents of Saurabh Vihar in Jaitpur.

The driver, identified as Sonu, jumped off and fled, leaving the passengers crying for help, Sub-Inspector Ajay Pratap Singh told IANS.

"The bus came to a halt after hitting a divider and the alert police staff, including Sub-Inspector Hari Singh at the police post, rescued the passengers," Singh said.

"They also informed the control room and the Fire Department but it took 45 minutes for fire tenders to reach the spot," he added.

"Some passengers sustained minor burn injuries and were discharged after first aid treatment in a hospital, while Umesh, 28, and Gondi Devi, 90, who received major burns are undergoing treatment," he said.

According to the officer, it appears the leakage of CNG caused the fire but an investigation is on.