Tens of passengers escaped death when the bus they were travelling in caught fire at Masimba township in Makueni county along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway.
The fire incident which occurred on Tuesday, November 3, evening, was only noticed when bystanders in the town saw that the bus was burning from its underside as it drove by.
Upon being informed about the fire, the driver stopped the vehicle and passengers scrambled to exit the vehicle.
All those on board were able to disembark before the bus was engulfed in flames.
No injuries were reported in the incident as the travelers and locals stood at a distance watching the bus burn to a shell.
The cause of the fire has not established yet.
Several such incidences have been reported in the recent past.
In January 2020, a bus along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway burst into flames with passengers onboard.
The cause of the inferno was not established though Gilgil Sub-county Police Commander Emmanuel Opuru suggested that a mechanical problem could have caused the fire.
In such an emergency, timely evacuation of passengers from the bus often saves lives and averting a disaster.
Previous cases of passenger safety on public service vehicles have seen the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) calling for inspection of the busses of specific saccos.
In December 2019, Modern Coast Bus Company submitted 74 busses for inspection at the NTSA inspectorate offices in Mombasa and Nairobi after an increase in accidents by vehicles under the company.
The company was later cleared for travel by the safety authority.
