Scary moments for passengers as bus catches fire on Hola-Garsen road

An E-Coach bus on fire on the Hola-Garsen road in Tana River County on October 18, 2016. PHOTO | GALGALO BOCHA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The bus caught fire twice and its crew member managed to extinguish the first and continued with the journey.
  • The second fire was vicious, but all passengers managed to get off in time.
  • Property of unknown value was lost in the fire.

Dozens of passengers escaped death Tuesday afternoon after their bus went up in flames on the Hola-Garsen road.

Tana River County Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru said all passengers disembarked unhurt from the bus belonging to E-Coach Bus Service company.

“Luckily, there were no deaths or injuries. All passengers managed to get off the bus before the fire consumed the bus,” Mr Nakoru said by phone.

Property of unknown value was lost in the fire.

The bus caught fire at Boji, a few kilometers from Hola town, as it was heading to Garissa from Mombasa, according to Mr Nakoru.

He said the bus had caught fire earlier but its crew managed to extinguish it before continuing on the journey. A few kilometers later, the second, more vicious fire erupted.

Mr Nakoru said police are investigating the cause of the fire. The bus crew told the police they suspected the fire was caused by an electrical failure in the bus system, Mr Nakoru added.

It is not known whether the public service vehicle was fitted with fire-fighting equipment as the law requires.

E-Coach managers were not available for comment, but a crew member said the bus was not fitted with any safety equipment.

“The fire spread quickly and there was no fire-fighting equipment that would have helped to extinguish the fire. We could only save lives,” said a crew member, who requested not to be named.