[ankan.m.blr]

Here is one more report from Today's ToI Bangalore ed. where it mentions that a truck's diesel tank exploded when another truck crashed onto it. The first tank was carrying spirit and gutted completely.

NH-4 ACCIDENT
Spirit-laden tanker catches fire
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Tumkur: A tanker carrying spirit went up in flames after its diesel tank exploded following an accident on the highway on Thursday morning. Spirit and surgical instruments worth crores of rupees were destroyed in the blaze. The incident, which occurred on NH-4 near Hebbaka village in Tumkur, disrupted traffic for over two hours.
The tanker, filled with 1,000 litres of spirit, first rammed a sand-laden truck coming from the other side. This sparked an argument between the drivers. While they were quarrelling, a container carrying the surgical instruments, on its way to Bangalore, hit the tanker. The impact caused the diesel tank to explode, which triggered the fire. The blaze spread to the container, gutting the surgical instruments, police said.
In the melee, the driver of the sand-laden truck escaped with the vehicle. Firefighting vehicles rushed to the spot but couldn’t control the blaze immediately.

Is it possible that the spirit in the cargo-hold caught fire upon impact and not the diesel tank? And if indeed the diesel tank caught fire, then maybe its time truck/bus manufacturers look for a design change of diesel tank.

P.S. : One more injured succumbed to death from last week's tragedy [source ToI]. R.I.P.

Haveri mishap toll 8
The death toll in the Haveri Volvo bus mishap which caught fire after hitting the median on November 14, has gone up to 8: One of the injured succumbed to burns in a Bangalore hospital on Thursday night. The Mumbaibound bus left Bangalore the previous night and seven persons were charred to death in the accident, while 40 others had suffered burns and other injuries.

[RGK]

I was in Bangalore last week and did go through the newspapers about this accident. It was second one in a span of 3 weeks and the below point came to my thought.

In Volvo, the engine is mounted at the rear and the if the diesel tank ruptures, due to the flow of air in the opposite direction, the diesel is sprayed all over the hot engine parts, electrical circuits etc. causing fire. Generally the climate was pretty cool during night and I doubt (not sure) the piercing of diesel tank (due to friction) would have caused the fire.

Volvo should start thinking the positioning of diesel tanks (preferrably behind the engine) to avoid tank bursts. Also one of the driver pointed long back, that any head on collision in Volvo will lead to large number of casualities as there is nothing in the front of the bus except the steering column, Instrument panel and chassis frame.

Basic theory is "Risk is proportional to the speed", better to drive within the prescribed speed limits.

[wildsdi5530]

A note of humour!
I was reminded of one Tintin comic where the fuel is adulterated causing cars to burst.
Maybe our diesel is being adulterated too?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

A note of humour! I was reminded of one Tintin comic where the fuel is adulterated causing cars to burst. Maybe our diesel is being adulterated too?

That was Land of Black Gold. Very topical work around the US induced Arab fuel crisis.
Amazingly lifelike and topical indeed!

[Warwithwheels]

Looks like another luxury bus fire accident has taken place today somewhere near Bangalore. A local news channel reports. Will post the exact details once the confirmed reports are available.

[BeingCynical]

Guys I have some first hand experience in travelling these buses from Pune to Bangalore. To say the least, these drivers treat the machine as if it is fitted with a Cryogenic engine. Volvo may be safe or unsafe, that calls for a separate discussion but as far as these two incidents are concerned - it reminds me the advertisement of CEAT tyres : There are enough idiots on our roads.

Invariably the machines are always perfect, it is just that we have idiots sitting behind the wheels.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Looks like another luxury bus fire accident has taken place today somewhere near Bangalore. A local news channel reports. Will post the exact details once the confirmed reports are available.

There was an incident reported but it is the case of insufficient water inthe radiator and hence 'smoke' seen in the engine bay. The driver reported of warning appearing on the dashboard of 'low radiator coolanat'.

Source:TOI (24th)

Cheers!

[srishiva]

If I had read it correctly, the Volvo near Haveri had brushed against the concrete structure, not really toppled after a hit, right?
There is nothing yet from Volvo on their inspection.

[deehunk]

A KSRTC Volvo bus caught fire and was gutted near Bagepalli on Saturday night, the bus was returning to Bangalore from Puttaparthi. The driver realised a fire in the engine compartment and timely alerted all the 40 passengers to get down from the bus, before the Fire engine team came to the place the bus was completely burnt.

Source
http://kannada.oneindia.in/news/karn...23-079555.html

[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by volkman10

There was an incident reported but it is the case of insufficient water inthe radiator and hence 'smoke' seen in the engine bay. The driver reported of warning appearing on the dashboard of 'low radiator coolanat'.
Cheers!

The following is the news I saw on a local news channel. And its a VOLVO again :(

Originally Posted by deehunk

A KSRTC Volvo bus caught fire and was gutted near Bagepalli on Saturday night, the bus was returning to Bangalore from Puttaparthi. The driver realised a fire in the engine compartment and timely alerted all the 40 passengers to get down from the bus, before the Fire engine team came to the place the bus was completely burnt.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

The following is the news I saw on a local news channel. And its a VOLVO again :(

Your source of information is inaccurate. Here is the actual incident.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...hap-ksrtc.html


Cheers!

[sawnilrules]

Hi folks,

There is no point in blaming Volvo as a manufacturer completely, On its end, I am sure Volvo must be getting all the quality checks ticked before the bus left their factory premises. But what really are our Volvo Operators doing; Adding two cents of my thoughts on this,

1) After advent of so called expressways and highways, many operators have opted out for Single driver operation. For example, Earlier on Bangalore Hyderabad Sector, there used to be two drivers, but now, only single driver takes the bus end to end. The bus moves within Hyderabad or Bangalore for almost 2.5 hrs before touching the expressway, and the driver is half exhausted driving within the city.He still hasn't finished even 1/4th of his kms as yet.

2) Most of the Volvo Operators who operate on long routes with two drivers, don't keep any seat vacant for the co-driver, and the co-driver is forced to sleep in the luggage compartment. In case of such undue incident, he is already dead inside the luggage compartment, as this is where the bus hits first or takes the impact.

3) In both the incidents, the Volvo buses were Karnataka registered. If you have noticed, most of the Karnataka Volvos (except the govt. vehicles) are sans the driver door. With one pneumatic door jammed, there is no second door for passengers to escape. Unfortunately, both these buses were without passenger doors. If the operator insists on not wanting a driver door, there is very little a manufacturer can do

4) Not many drivers at wheel of this technology laden buses are well trained. I remember an incident here, I was once coming back from Bangalore in HKB Volvo to Mumbai. The bus developed some snag on the way and was not taking the expected pick-up. He immediately parked the vehicle and called up the Volvo Service Technician. The technician asked him to read for any status message from the MID of the bus. Though the instrument console was showing some message the driver was unable to read, and as I was seated on the first row, he requested me to read it out to the Volvo technician on other side of the call. The first criteria for Volvo while training drivers is, the Driver should know English. If this be the case, definitely the person behind the wheel had not attended any driver training course from Volvo.

5) Volvo's are known to travel at speeds above 100 km/h easily, but there has to be roads to execute that speed, however, we as customers expect them to be above 100 km/h at all times, and rub off a slow driver of Volvo buses, stating he doesn't know how to drive one.

6) Most importantly if I can afford to buy a Mercedes or a BMW or a Audi for that matter, I am expected to follow the service interval norms and change faulty parts as per the manufacturers' recommendation. I will not replace a Mercedes part with Maruti isn't it. But there are operators whom I have known, who don't even send their vehicles to Authorized Volvo Service Centers, forget changing faulty parts alone. Instead get their servicing done by roadside mechanics, whose expertise is limited to Tata vehicles.

So whom should we blame here for recent incidents of Volvo catching fire

a) Volvo as a manufacturer, the company that is one of the World's leading bus and truck manufacturer, by the way, Volvo 9900, the european version of B11R has won the prestigious European Coach of the Year Award for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011.

b) Driver, who in-spite of not wanting to do a straight duty is forced to due to his financial circumstances, as every operator expects him to do it, and is paid minimal wages.

c) Volvo Operator for not respecting service schedules

d) We as customers who are least negligent, that in-spite of knowing all these facts don't question these operators.

Signing off with points to ponders

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Petrol flashes at (-)43 deg. C, Diesel at (+)62 deg. C. Fire points are usually about 10 deg. C higher than resp. flash points.

Actually the Diesel sold in India as per the BIS spec has flash point much lower than 62 deg C.
It is actually much lower than 40 deg C.



If you go back to my post - I said MY SPEC diesel will not catch fire, but the BIS standard diesel will!

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Actually the Diesel sold in India as per the BIS spec has flash point much lower than 62 deg C.
It is actually much lower than 40 deg C.



If you go back to my post - I said MY SPEC diesel will not catch fire, but the BIS standard diesel will!

I read your post before posting mine, and agree with your points about the refining standards in our country. Properly refined diesel (with little or no Kerosene mixed in it) will flash closer to its actual flash point.

As it stands, BIS diesel is adulterated (or rather not refined to proper standards), and is a huge culprit in such cases. Maybe someone should sue the Oil Ministry and promoters for selling sub-standard diesel.

[ankan.m.blr]

Here's the summary of report after initial investigation
source : ToI

Poor road engineering primary culprit: Report
M K Madhusoodan TNN

Bangalore: The preliminary report of a joint investigation into the October 30 Mahbubnagar accident in Andhra Pradesh, where a Volvo bus went up in flames killing 45 passengers, has squarely blamed poor road engineering for the tragedy.
The investigation was conducted by officials from the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh transport departments. “The bus grazed against a culvert embankment wall that was lined with 20-foot-long, six-inch-thick steel
pipes, igniting sparks which resulted in the fuel tank catching fire. This was the main cause of the fire that engulfed the entire bus,” said the report.
The report has indicted the driver for his negligence and lack of presence of mind. The driver did not open the passenger door and jumped out of the bus without alerting anybody, it said.
The Hyderabad-bound Jabbar Travels bus left Bangalore around 11pm on October 29. It reportedly caught fire when it reached Palem village near Mahbubnagar district around 5.30am, after its undercarriage grazed against the culvert wall while overtaking another vehicle, the preliminary report pointed out.
The report cited lack of proper road engineering along the entire highway. It said the stretch is mostly devoid of signage or warning for motorists. “It is improper to lay pipes that are not collapsible under the impact. A collapsible pipe would have averted such a tragedy. Otherwise the pipes and the culvert embankment should have been marked with black and yellow paints to warn motorists,” sources privy to the report said. The report is yet to reach the Karnataka’s transport department.
The two governments have set up a high-level committee to look into safety on the highways to avert such tragedies. “Only after the committee takes appropriate decision on the lacunae in road engineering can these things be corrected,” said a senior official in the state transport department.

Finally , transport authorities & Volvo are waking up to the problem.
source : ToI

SAFER BUSES
Volvo to make safety changes in its vehicles
Karthikeyan Hemalatha TNN

Chennai: Swedish automobile giant Volvo has agreed to make changes to its buses to improve safety after meeting Tamil Nadu transport officials here on Thursday. The state requested senior Volvo officials to make certain alterations to enhance safety.
Transport authorities and operators raised questions about the safety of the company’s vehicles after 53 people died in two accidents involving Volvo buses just 15 days apart.
Forty-five people were kiled when a Volvo bus burst into flames in Mahboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh on Oct 30. On Nov 14, eight people were burnt alive when a Bangalore-Mumbai bus manufactured by the same company caught fire near Haveri.
Tamil Nadu was the first state to ask bus manufacturers to include safety features. Volvo said it will install fire-resistant, electronic ‘event recorders’ that will function like aircraft black boxes. The buses will have speed governors with a top speed of 85kmph.

Bus operators had expressed apprehension over the diesel tanks of the buses being too close to the wheels, increasing the probability of an impact resulting in a blaze. They had, at an earlier meeting, suggested that the government ask manufacturers to make design alterations to move the tanks away from the wheels.
But Volvo officials insisted that the tanks pose no safety risk. “Each bus has three diesel tanks — two with a capacity of 150 litres and one of 300 litres — so the weight is distributed evenly,” Volvo Buses India Pvt Ltd general manager and head of sales Vishal Chugh said.
“We use rotomolded plastic of superior strength to make the tanks and put them through a bonfire test. Tanks full of diesel are placed in a bonfire to check their fire resistance.”
Volvo officials said they had received suggestions from other states too and would implement changes if they are practicable.
Chugh said the company will, with bus operators, place behind every seat cards with emergency advice and a list of the safety features of the vehicle.
Bus operators last week agreed to a set of new safety rules drafted by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Authority. These include not making a driver stay at the wheel for more than 150km at a stretch. Bus operator associations on Thursday said they have uploaded on the internet a video with safety instructions that all bus operators will have to play before the start of a journey. They have also printed the safety cards for the reference of passengers. But the transport department found operators were to blame for bus electrical systems being overloaded. “Drivers use the luggage cabin as a bunker and install lights and fans that affect the electrical systems. We have instructed operators not to permit this,” transport commissioner T Prabhakara Rao said.
Around 300 of the 3,000 large buses in the state are from Volvo’s production lines. Bus operators have around 2,000 Volvo buses in south India, or 91% of all luxury buses in the region.
Other major bus manufacturers include Ashok Leyland, Tata, Eicher and Daimler. “We will meet the other manufacturers too. We began with Volvo as buses from the company were involved in major accidents recently,” Rao said.


Emergency middle door in Karnataka
Volvo has agreed to the state government’s demand to provide an emergency middle door, says transport minister Ramalinga Reddy. During talks with the bus manufacturer, the Karnataka government didn’t ask for the changes demanded by TN. Fuel tanks pose no safety risk, insist Volvo officials
The company said it will introduce smoke detectors on all buses. It will also make all windows breakable so they could be used as emergency exits (buses now only have four breakable windows) and provide eight hammers, instead of four, per bus to break open the windows in an accident. The buses will also have radium stickers to guide passengers to the nearest emergency exits.