Plying taxi goes up in flames

GANGTOK, 11 May: A taxi vehicle suddenly burst out in flames as it reached the Flyover bridge near Lall Bazaar on the national highway this afternoon. This provided a bizarre spectacle for passersby who saw a moving vehicle suddenly spew fire in the middle of the road. The fire ravaged the entire vehicle with nothing left to salvage except scrap metal. The incident took place at around 3:30 pm; two fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the flames and though the flames were overcome, the vehicle, SK 01 T 0212, was totally destroyed with even the seats consumed in the inferno and the tyres bursting due to the heat. Fortunately there were no serious injuries for any of the passengers or the driver who were immediately taken to the STNM hospital. It is suspected that faulty wiring in the vehicle may have caused a short circuit triggering the fire.