16 July,2025 08:12 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Thick smoke emerges from the BEST bus after the manhole cover struck the battery of the bus (right) The loose manhole cover near Siddharth College, Fort. PICS/JOSEPH NADAR
A loose manhole cover near the Siddharth College junction struck the undergear high-voltage battery of a Switch-class air-conditioned double-decker electric bus, triggering a fire and thick smoke around 9.15 am during rush hour on Tuesday.
This journalist witnessed the incident and saw passengers evacuate the bus immediately as dense smoke began to engulf it amid heavy rain. Most passengers were accommodated in the next bus operating on the same route.
Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot
The affected bus, registered MH-43-CE-1709, was operating on route number A138 between Mumbai CSMT (Bhatia Baug bus station) and Back Bay. The smoke caused panic for a brief period, but no injuries were reported.
"The bus was proceeding to Back Bay Depot from Bhatia Baug. As it reached the above-mentioned location, it suddenly caught fire near the high-voltage battery, which is located next to the front left tyre.
Loose manhole cover near Siddharth College
Upon discovering the fire, the bus conductor promptly informed the fire brigade and police. Fire brigade personnel arrived swiftly and immediately began efforts to extinguish the flames," an official said.
Initial observations indicate the blaze originated near the front left tyre, precisely where the high-voltage battery is located. "It was actually a protruding manhole cover that hit the undergear of the moving bus and damaged it, leading to the incident," BEST General Manager SVR Srinivas said.
