Bus fire incident falsely shared as 'magnetic bomb' going off in Bengaluru

What is the claim?

A video of a bus engulfed in flames, emitting thick dark smoke in the middle of a road is circulating on social media, with the claim that the vehicle was targeted by a “magnetic bomb” in Bengaluru, a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. 

One such post shared on X (formerly Twitter) sharing the video wrote, “A magnetic bomb targeted a bus in Indian city of Bengaluru in which 3 engineers of DRDO were travelling. All three DRDO engineers are feared dead. The incident happened 4 km west of DRDO HAL Tejas flight testing facility.” The post has gained 46,400 views on the platform at the time of writing this fact-check. An archived version of this post and similar others can be viewed here, here, and here.

Screenshot of viral posts circulating on social media. (Source: X/Facebook/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts) 

However, Logically Facts found that the incident captured in the viral video depicts a bus that caught fire due to engine overheating. There was no bomb blast or explosion. 

What did we find?

A Google search led us to reports published by The Times of India, Hindustan Times, and NDTV, which noted that a BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation) bus carrying at least 30 members caught fire at Anil Kumble Circle near Bengaluru’s Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Road on July 9, 2024, around 9 a.m. The reports added that no casualties were reported, and a preliminary probe indicated that the engine's overheating caused the fire, but the exact reason was yet to be determined. 

We also found a post (archived here) shared by Bengaluru City’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) on its official X account, clarifying that it was not an explosion from a bomb. The statement reads, “Today around 08:40 am near Anil Kumble Circle, MG Road, a BMTC bus caught fire. Fire Force extinguished fire, no casualties reported.  False rumors about a magnetic bomb as circulated on social media is false and baseless (sic).”

Screenshot of the post shared by DCP Bengaluru Central.
(Source: X/DCP Central Division,ಉಪ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಆಯುಕ್ತ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ವಿಭಾಗ) 

Logically Facts also spoke to Shekhar H Tekkannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), who reiterated, “There was no magnetic bomb involved in this incident. The fire was caused due to heating.” He also added that no one was injured in the incident.

We contacted Bengaluru South Fire Station to confirm the cause of the fire. An official, who wished to remain anonymous, told us, “The bus caught fire due to engine overheating, which led to a short circuit when the driver started the bus.” The official also confirmed that no passengers were injured in the accident.

We also conducted a Google search to find if there was any such incident where three DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) engineers were killed or feared dead in Bengaluru, as claimed in the viral post. However, no reports or official releases speak of such an incident.

The viral clip was an accident, not a bomb explosion. There was no such incident where "three DRDO engineers are feared dead" or injured, as claimed in the viral posts.

The verdict

A video of a public transport bus that caught fire in Bengaluru due to engine overheating issues has been shared with the false claim that it shows visuals of a ‘magnetic bomb blast’.