Passengers evacuated from burning bus on M50

SOME 40 concert-goers en route from Belfast to the Oxegen music festival in Punchestown, Co Kildare yesterday afternoon, had to be evacuated from a burning bus which caught fire on the M50 motorway.

The southbound lane of the M50 was closed for two hours following the fire which broke out at around 1.30pm, causing tailbacks of several kilometres from the Blanchardstown exit to its junction with the M1.

Gardaí and four units of Dublin Fire Brigade were called to the scene and the fire was extinguished and the bus removed. There were no injuries.

Passengers on board the single-decker private bus told firefighters that smoke and flames began to rise through the floors of the bus. The cause of the fire is not known.

Traffic remained heavier than usual for several hours after the road reopened, delaying evening rush hour motorists, according to AA Roadwatch. Knock-on delays also affected traffic on the M1 and the N2 approaching the M50.