NOIDA: Passengers on board a bus that caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway near Noida International Airport on Thursday morning described a chaotic and difficult escape as thick smoke engulfed the vehicle.Speaking to ANI, a passenger said they were asleep when someone alerted them that the bus had caught fire. “After I fell asleep, someone woke me up saying the bus had caught fire, and we all scrambled to get out,” the passenger said.Describing the escape as difficult, the passenger said there was heavy smoke inside the bus and passengers were forced to get out in a state of panic. “It was not an easy situation to escape from; there was a lot of smoke. We somehow managed to get out in a state of panic. The bus was packed with passengers,” the passenger said.Another passenger said they were asleep when someone banged on the door. By the time they woke up, a crowd had gathered and passengers were scrambling to get out.“I didn’t pick up any of my belongings; I didn’t even put on my shoes. I just grabbed my phone and stepped out,” the passenger said, adding that the rush to escape led to passengers shoving one another.The passenger said someone eventually pulled them out of the bus. “It was so smoky that nothing was visible; people were suffocating inside. Very few managed to escape, only those who could push their way out amidst the shoving,” the passenger said.The passenger said several people were still behind when they managed to get out. “There were quite a few people behind me who probably couldn’t make it out, as I myself got out quite late,” the passenger said.The incident left passengers in panic as the packed bus quickly filled with smoke, making it difficult for those inside to find their way out.
