- Friday, February 28, 2025
According to police, most of the passengers were sleeping at the time of the accident. The bus overturned on the side of the doors, blocking them.
By: Shubham Ghosh
AT LEAST 25 people were charred to death when the bus they were travelling in caught fire on an expressway in the western Indian state of Maharashtra early on Saturday (1).
Three of the deceased were children. Eight others were injured in the horrific incident.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Visuals from Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway in Buldhana where 26 people died and 8 others were injured after a bus travelling from Nagpur to Pune met with an accident. pic.twitter.com/3JTRLzKuZH
— ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2023
The bus was heading to Pune from Nagpur with 33 people on board. The accident took place around 1.30 am local time on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway running from the eastern to the western part of the state.
According to police, most of the passengers were sleeping at the time of the accident. The bus overturned on the side of the doors, blocking them. The ill-fated passengers could not get out of the vehicle that caught fire, they added.
“25 people were burnt to death in the accident. The injured have been shifted to a hospital for treatment,” Sunil Kadasane, superintendent of police of Buldhana where the accident took place told NDTV.
He said investigation was underway to ascertain the cause of the accident. He also said that the driver of the vehicle, who was unhurt, was taken into custody and efforts were underway to identify the bodies and hand them over to their families.
According to one report, the driver said one of the bus’s tyres burst and it hit a pole and overturned. The police said this damaged the fuel tank and the diesel started leaking, causing the fire.
Prime minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde expressed anguish over the tragedy. Shinde also announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each for the families of those who died in the accident.
Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 1, 2023
“Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected,” the prime minister’s office quoted Modi as saying.
“While giving instructions to provide immediate help to the accident victims, the chief minister also directed to provide immediate medical treatment to the injured at government expense,” his office said.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the bodies were charred beyond recognition and if the victims could not be identified, DNA testing will be held.
Fadnavis also said that a smart system was being installed on the expressway to prevent accidents but till it was completed, vehicle drivers need to be made aware on how to drive safely in the night.
