Bhubaneswar, June 28 -- Around 40 passengers escaped unhurt late on Saturday night after a passenger bus caught fire and was entirely destroyed on National Highway 149 in Odisha. The vehicle was travelling from near Barkotia under the jurisdiction of the Khamar police station limits in Angul district.

As per reports, a mechanical failure triggered the fire, leading to an immediate evacuation.

The passenger bus, named 'Seema', was travelling from Rourkela to Kendrapara when the bus driver and staff detected a technical malfunction. According to sources, the main diesel pipe had ruptured. Electrical restoration caused a short circuit, which ignited the leaking fuel and rapidly enveloped the chassis in flames.

The onboard passengers immed...