LUCKY ESCAPE FOR PASSENGERS AFTER BUS BURSTS INTO FLAMES

It was a lucky escape for 18 elderly passengers and their driver, after their bus burst into flames on the Central Coast this morning.

The group from Newcastle was travelling to Sydney to see the musical Aladdin, when they smelt smoke at around 9:30am.

The driver pulled over along the M1 at Somersby and evacuated the coach, before it became engulfed in flames.

Despite the driver’s best attempts, he wasn’t able to extinguish the blaze himself.

He was taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation, while the passengers escaped uninjured.

Southbound lanes of the M1 were closed for several hours, with detours in place at Ourimbah.