Motorcyclist saves 30 onboard burning bus

VELLORE: Panic ensued after a private A/C Volvo bus from Chennai to Bangalore caught fire near Ambur on Tuesday. No injuries were reported.A motorcyclist riding behind the bus noticed thick smoke billowing out of the rear of the vehicle at around 3:00 p.m. when it was nearing Vengili village. The motorcyclist overtook the bus and signalled the driver to stop the vehicle.While the fire quickly engulfed the bus, all thirty persons on board including the driver, conductor and helper escaped unhurt. Though fire tenders from Ambur quickly rushed to the spot to douse the flames, the vehicle was badly burned and several passengers lost their belongings in the blaze. Investigation revealed that the fire started in the air-conditioning machine in the bus.The incident affected the flow of traffic on  the national highway for more than an hour and a half. Ambur taluk police have registered a case.