Derry double-decker bus 'engulfed in flames' Published duration 9 June 2015

media caption Passengers on a double-decker bus that caught fire between Belfast and Londonderry describe how the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

Passengers on a double-decker bus that caught fire between Belfast and Londonderry have described how the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

An investigation is under way after a fire started on the Ulsterbus service carrying 40 passengers on the M22 motorway on Monday.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said it was a "blessing" no-one was injured.

The bus has been extensively damaged and an investigation has begun.

In February 2015, it was revealed in the News Letter newspaper, that a total of 25 Translink buses had caught fire in the last five years.

In January 2012, a double-decker caught fire in York Street, Belfast.

In May 2012, another double-decker caught fire while travelling along the M2 from Belfast to Ballymena.

Both times, the vehicles were evacuated safely and no one was injured.

image copyright Andrew Page image caption 40 passengers waited along the motorway for a second bus to arrive

A Translink spokesperson said: "Safety is our top priority. There are more than 1400 vehicles in our bus fleet and all vehicles must comply with rigorous industry safety standards.

"We can confirm there have been eight fire incidents in the last five years involving this vehicle type, including two incidents in January and May 2012.

"None of these have resulted in any injuries and the majority have caused minor vehicle damage.

"There is no indication there are any underlying defects with these vehicles.

"We take all fire incidents seriously and have a number of processes in place to manage the risk of vehicle fire across the fleet.

"Extensive benchmarking has also shown that Translink's fire safety record compares favourably with other UK and European Bus operators.

"All incidents are fully investigated and appropriate action is taken to ensure the continued safety of our passengers, drivers and other road users."

Andrew Page from Derry was a passenger on board the bus on Monday.

"We were coming to the end of the motorway and the driver pulled up when she saw smoke," he said. "She told us to 'Get off, we are on fire'".

"We were taken off safely, but the flames started getting quite high at the back of the bus.

image copyright Brendan Doherty image caption The bus was extensively damaged in the fire

"There was no great sense of panic."

Another bus was sent to take the passengers home.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the bus was in flames when firefighters arrived.

The bus driver sustained a cut to her hand trying to remove the fire extinguisher.

Three fire appliances attended the incident, which caused long tailbacks on the M22 near Randalstown.

Paul Coyle, a NIFRS area commander, told BBC Radio Foyle: "The fire progressed quite quickly on the upper deck and lower deck.

"Passengers were taken off the bus safely but the firefighters had to wear breathing apparatus to get the fire out.

"We are very lucky that no-one was injured here. It's a blessing that they all got off safely."