Bhubaneswar: At least 50 passengers had a narrow escape after one of the rear wheels of a moving bus got detached from the axle in Odisha’s Balasore district today.

The incident took place while the passenger bus, named Jhadeswar, was on its way to Dhamra from Balasore in the afternoon.

The bus reportedly travelled around 2 km even after one of its four rear wheels got detached from the axle, sources said.

“At least 50 people were in the bus when the wheel came off the axle. We got panicked as the bus driver struggled for a few minutes to stop the bus,” said a passenger.

The passengers claimed that the bus staff had carried out certain maintenance work at the rear wheels of the vehicle before starting the journey. Perhaps, the wheels were not fitted properly, they said.

“We suddenly felt that the bus was shaking unusually. Somehow, the driver stopped the bus and we came to know that one wheel from the rear has come off the axle. A major mishap was averted,” said another passenger.