Mysuru: Due to presence of mind of a school bus driver, more than 50 lives including nearly 45 school children were saved.
Soon after bus driver Madhukumar noticed smoke in the engine, the alert driver immediately stopped the bus and opened the bonnet, the place where smoke was emanating. As soon as he opened the bonnet fire started to emanate, within three minutes he managed to alight all the children and other staff members and fire started to spread wild.

The alert driver who saved the precious lives is Madhukumar who is working as bus driver for Navkis School located on Bannur road. Soon after noticing smoke and smell in the bus at Vasanthnagar, Madhu immediately stopped the bus and when checked where exactly the smoke and smell coming, he came to know that it was coming from inside the bonnet. Immediately he opened the bonnet and all of sudden thick smoke engulfed from the engine. Within few minutes Madhukumar managed to get down all of them from the bus. All the children were on the way to home after finishing their day’s class. Class 10 students Abhishek and Shashikumar were also involved in opening emergency exit which also enabled children’s to come out from the bus

Madhukumar said, speaking to Newskarnataka, said, “There was smoke hence I lifted the bonnet and thick smoke started emanate from the engine; immediately I alighted all the children including staff members from the bus and took out fire extinguisher which was kept in the bus and tried to douse the fire but the fire spread wild. I immediately called fire station as well as the school management.”

Obayya Moolya, District Fire Officer, Bannimantap Fire Station, said, “The reason for fire is short circuit in the engine. No one is injured in the fire accident but the bus almost gutted.”