Malkangiri(Odisha) | As many as 37 passengers, including Odisha's Congress MLA Mangu Khila, had a narrow escape when the bus in which they were travelling from Bhubaneswar to Nabarangpur caught fire after a rear tyre burst early on Saturday, police said.

The incident took place near Ramabhadrapuram in Andhra Pradesh. All the passengers and crew members were safely evacuated before the bus was completely gutted in the fire, Khila told reporters.

Police said all the passengers, including the MLA, were safely evacuated without any injuries.

The prompt response of the driver and the alertness of passengers helped avert a major tragedy, the police said, adding that fire services personnel and local authorities reached the spot and brought the fire under control, although the vehicle could not be saved.

The MLA from Chitrakonda assembly segment in Malkangiri district said, "The bus caught fire when all the passengers, including me, were in deep sleep. The driver's presence of mind saved all. He stopped the bus, opened all the windows and awakened all the passengers." "A major tragedy was averted. I had boarded the bus at Rasulgarh bus stand in Bhubaneswar and was going to Malkangiri," he said, adding that later another bus picked up the passengers to Malkangiri.

Police have launched an investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire.