Tenth Athens bus bursts into flames
The Athens public bus company (ETHEL) has demanded an explanation from its supplier after a 10th vehicle burst into flames on Saturday while transporting passengers from the city’s airport to Syntagma. None of the 15 passengers aboard the bus was injured as the driver evacuated them all quickly, on a slip road off the Attiki Odos, after the fire broke out in the back of the vehicle. The bus subsequently burst into flames and was extinguished by firefighters. It is the 10th bus to combust in this way since ETHEL took delivery of the vehicles in 2000. ETHEL ordered immediate inspections on the other 206 vehicles in the same batch and asked the supplier to determine the source of the problem, which is believed to be a fuel leak. ETHEL’s technicians are considering strike action to protest the problem which they say is putting their lives, and those of passengers, at risk.
