A Dhaka-bound Green Line Paribahan bus caught fire and was completely gutted on the Dhaka-Barisal highway near South Bamrail in Wazirpur upazila of Barisal on Thursday morning.
Following the incident, traffic movement on the highway was temporarily halted for about 90 minutes, according to the Gournadi highway police.
Mohammad Aminur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Gournadi highway police station, said the fire broke out suddenly while the bus was travelling from Dhaka to Barisal.
Sensing the danger, passengers quickly evacuated the vehicle, he added.
Two individuals sustained minor injuries in the process, however, there were no fatalities, the OC said.
Upon receiving the news, four firefighting units from Gournadi and Wazirpur fire service stations rushed to the scene and managed to extinguish the flames.
The OC suggested that the fire might have been caused by an electrical short circuit or an engine malfunction.
Passengers recounted that they noticed a burning smell shortly after passing Batajore.
Despite alerting the driver and supervisor, the staff attempted to mask the odour by spraying air fresheners inside the bus, they complained.
When the smell intensified, the bus was stopped in South Bamrail, allowing passengers to disembark just minutes before the fire engulfed the entire vehicle.
Gournadi Fire Service Station Officer Bipul Hossain confirmed that there were 19 passengers on board at the time, with two sustaining minor injuries.
