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Rajasthan bus tragedy: 20 killed, 15 injured, toll set to rise; PM, Prez condole deaths
Pokaran MLA Mahant Pratap Puri said that prima facie evidence pointed to a suspected short circuit in the bus battery
At least 20 passengers were burnt alive while 15 others got injured after a moving AC sleeper bus caught fire on the Jaisalmer–Jodhpur Highway on Tuesday afternoon. The bus, carrying 57 passengers, had left Jaisalmer around 3pm when flames engulfed it within minutes, leaving passengers with little chance to escape.
Pokaran MLA Mahant Pratap Puri confirmed the deaths, stating that 19 passengers were charred inside the bus while another succumbed to injuries in Jodhpur.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy, with the central government announcing an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.
Officials said the toll may rise as several charred bodies remain stuck to the bus frame, and efforts are underway to recover them.
Rajasthan health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said that a loud blast was heard from the rear of the bus.
“We believe the AC compressor exploded. Combined with gas and diesel, it triggered a massive blaze. There was only one door, which trapped passengers. Those seated in the front managed to escape. The army has recovered the bodies that could be taken out, but some passengers were burnt to ashes beyond recognition,” he said.
Officials suspect a short circuit in the AC unit triggered the fire. The gas-filled cooling system and faulty wiring likely fueled the flames. The bus, a relatively new vehicle, was completely gutted. Meanwhile, people aware of the development said that some packets of firecrackers were also being transported in the bus’s luggage compartment, which could have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
Also Read: 20 people dead after fire breaks out in Rajasthan bus, 16 more injured
MLA Puri said that prima facie evidence pointed to a suspected short circuit in the bus battery, which may have released AC gas and intensified the blaze.
According to MLA Pratap Puri, safety design flaws worsened the tragedy. The bus had only one emergency exit at the rear instead of on both sides, and its narrow layout trapped passengers inside.
“There should have been at least three emergency doors. People did not even get a chance. In just 5–7 minutes, the bus became an inferno,” he said.
The above people added that the bus was newly built but lacked basic safety provisions. It had no emergency exit and no window hammers to break the glass which prevented most passengers from escaping. Several bodies were found piled over one another inside.
The interiors had fiber body panels and curtains, which helped the fire spread quickly. The bus windows were made entirely of glass, and once the wiring caught fire, the door automatically locked.
The sudden blaze left passengers with no time to react. The driver and conductor were the first to escape after breaking open the front door. Locals present at the site claimed that the bus did not have fire safety equipment, which could have prevented or reduced the scale of the tragedy. Many passengers were burnt alive in the fire.
It informed that the AC sleeper bus operated by a private firm KK Travels had been registered only on October 1 and was granted an all-India permit on October 9.
Meanwhile, by late evening, all 19 bodies recovered from the bus were sent to Jodhpur for DNA-based identification. Families of the missing have been asked to come forward for assistance in identification.
Jaisalmer district collector Pratap Singh Nathawat said a special rescue operation was launched immediately after the fire broke out.
“Sixteen injured passengers were given initial treatment in Jaisalmer and then referred to Jodhpur for advanced care,” he said, adding that identification of the deceased will be carried out through DNA testing.
Among the victims were local journalist Rajendra Singh Chauhan, 79-year-old Hussain Khan, and the entire family of Mahendra Meghwal from Jodhpur’s Balesar—Mahendra, his wife, two daughters, and a son, died. Fifteen passengers, including two children and four women, sustained severe burns, some up to 70% of their bodies.
All the injured were first taken to Jawahir Hospital in Jaisalmer before being referred to Jodhpur.
A green corridor was created on National Highway 125 to ensure ambulances reached hospitals quickly. Army personnel also joined locals and police in containing the fire and evacuating victims. The charred bus has been moved to the Army Hospital for forensic examination.
Rajasthan chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma reached Jaisalmer late Tuesday night and went directly to the Army Cantonment area before leaving for Jodhpur to meet the injured.
Calling the tragedy “extremely heart-wrenching,” he said, “Instructions have been issued to ensure the best treatment for the injured and all possible support for the bereaved families.”
Former CM Ashok Gehlot, Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, Barmer MP Ummedaram Beniwal, and Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully condoled the tragedy and called for stronger safety measures in passenger transport.
Among the injured was a couple returning to Jodhpur after a pre-wedding shoot in Jaisalmer. Ashish Dave, admitted in Jodhpur hospital, had gone to Jaisalmer with his fiancée for a pre-wedding shoot. Their wedding was scheduled for November 11. Both were seated at the front of the bus and managed to escape within minutes of the fire, but Ashish is now facing vision problems
Eyewitness Ameen Khan, who was near the War Museum at Thaiyat village, said, “I saw the bus completely engulfed in flames. People were screaming inside. One man collapsed on the ground. I carried a severely burnt passenger on my bike to hospital. The scene was unbearable.”
The site has been sealed off with barricades, and public movement has been restricted. Forensic and DNA teams from Jodhpur have been deployed. Nathawat urged relatives of missing passengers to contact district helplines to assist with victim identification.
Laxman, an agent of Swagat Travels (booking partner for KK Travels), has been detained by police. Investigators are questioning him over passenger lists and ticketing records, as most tickets were sold on board.
