A passenger bus operated by Trinity Bus Company burst into flames near Jemeza along the Juba-Bor highway on Tuesday afternoon, according to the police.
The bus which was carrying 41 passengers experienced engine failure that led to the fire.
Garang Aduany, a traffic police crime investigator in Bor, told Radio Tamazuj that one woman, 38, suffered a broken arm while hurriedly disembarking the bus which was ablaze.
According to the police officer, preliminary investigations suggest that the ill-fated bus engine had not been serviced for long and this resulted in overheating and eventually caused the fire.
“The incident occurred on Tuesday at 2 p.m. along the Juba-Bor Highway,” Aduany said. “We sent our team to the scene to investigate the cause of the fire. All passengers are safe except one woman whose right arm got broken.”
He said the police are conducting a thorough investigation to understand the exact circumstances of the incident. Meanwhile, the injured passenger was rushed to hospital.
“When the fire started, the bus automatically locked its doors so all the luggage was consumed by the fire,” he explained. “As of now, we do not know the value of the luggage that was damaged but we will know when the passengers report what they lost in the bus fire.”
Aduany urged all vehicle owners to adhere to regular maintenance schedules as well as carry fire extinguishers to prevent such dangerous occurrences in the future.