Dozens of individuals are feared to have died after a sleeper bus caught on fire on a motorway in India.
Passengers needed to jump out of a moving bus after it was engulfed in flames on the Jaisalmer highway within the northwestern Rajasthan region.
The private coach was carrying 57 passengers when the incident unfolded this afternoon between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur.
At the very least 20 individuals are thought to have died after being trapped contained in the burning vehicle.
Several other passengers suffered serious burns, with 15 people, including 4 women and two children, taken to hospitals.
Some suffered as much as 70% burns, in response to NDTV.
The driving force pulled over on the side of the road, however the flames took over the vehicle inside seconds.
The police have suggested the hearth could have began because of a brief circuit.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said that the families of the deceased and people injured can be given compensation.
He said: ‘Distressed by the lack of lives because of a mishap in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.’
Jaisalmer district collector Pratap Singh said: ‘An air-conditioned sleeper bus from a non-public company was travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur when this incident happened… The district administration has opened a helpline, and I request members of the family of the passengers to come back forward and help discover the dead individuals.’
The country’s chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma said in an X post: ‘The incident of a bus catching fire in Jaisalmer is incredibly heart-wrenching. I express deep condolences to the people affected by this tragic accident. Instructions have been given to the concerned authorities to make sure proper treatment for the injured and to supply all possible assistance to those affected.’
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