Fatal bus fire claims at least 25 lives on Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra

Buldhana: Rescue workers near the passenger bus which met with an accident and caught fire killing 25 passengers on the Samruddhi Expressway, in Buldhana district. Pic/PTI

Authorities in Maharashtra said that at least twenty-five bus passengers reportedly died after it caught fire on the Samruddhi Expressway in the state's Buldhana district on Saturday. Some other reports said that twenty-six people died in the accident.

The private travels bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it hit a pole and then rammed into a divider around 1.30 am near Pimpalkhuta village, news agency PTI quoted a police official as saying. The bus turned turtle and caught fire, police added.

According to PTI report that cited an official saying that there were at least 33 passengers on the bus and that the eight survivors were admitted to a nearby hospital.

Many of the passengers hailed from Nagpur, Wardha, and Yavatmal, the official said.

"The bus was travelling from Nagpur to Pune when at around 1:35 am when it met with an accident on Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway, after which the diesel tank of the bus caught fire. Around 8 people could save their lives. Around 33 passengers were travelling in the bus. The majority of deaths were caused due to burning, " news agency ANI quoted Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasane as saying.

A release from the CM office on Saturday said that the Mahrashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde "has expressed deep grief over the horrific accident of a private bus on the Samriddhi highway near Sindkhedaraja in Buldhana district." The Chief Minister has announced an aid of Rs 5 lakh each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to the relatives of the deceased in the incident, said the release.

Nationalist Congress Party's Saleem Sarang took to Twitter to grill the state government over the accident. In a tweet written in Marathi, Sarang addressed the tragic incident and highlighted the importance of investigating its cause to prevent similar accidents in the future.

"The Samriddhi Highway, advertised by the government as the destiny line of Maharashtra, has claimed the lives of 26 citizens today. Even though there are many incidents of tire bursting accidents due to continuous friction over long distances, the administration has ignored it. As a result, today we have to witness such an unfortunate accident. It is necessary for the state government to investigate the cause behind this accident and take urgent measures to prevent such loss of life in the future," he said.

In a tweet, PM Modi said that he was 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 added.

(This is a developing story and will be updated as and when more inputs are received)