Bus with 35 passengers catches fire in Nueva Ecija

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — A passenger bus caught fire while traversing the desolate stretch leading to the Nueva Vizcaya-Nueva Ecija border around midnight on Tuesday (Feb. 21) but all of its 36 passengers were unharmed.

The REM Liner bus (with temporary license plate no. 022608) was ascending a portion of the national highway in Piut village in Carranglan town in Nueva Ecija when fire sprung out of its engine, said Sr. Insp. Robert de Guzman, Carranglan police chief.

“The driver of another vehicle the bus had overtaken began signaling to the driver that something was wrong with the bus. When the bus pulled over to the side of the road to check, fire at the engine bay at the back of the bus was already raging,” he said.

The bus driver and his riders were able to alight from the vehicle, but the bus was totally burned, along with the passengers’ luggage and other belongings.

Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the blaze, which was declared under control at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, De Guzman said. CBB