Ludhiana, June 22 -- Passengers travelling to Uttar Pradesh had a close shave on Sunday afternoon. when a sleeper bus caught fire near Beeja in Khanna. The blaze, which reportedly started from the rear portion of the vehicle, spread rapidly and engulfed the bus within minutes, forcing passengers to scramble for safety.

Some passengers sustained minor burn injuries in the incident, police said, adding that though the passengers, including women, children and elderly persons, were evacuated safely, their belongings were gutted in the blaze. The bus had deported from Jalandhar.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire spread rapidly within minutes, leaving little time for passengers to retrieve their luggage and valuables. The driver and conduc...