One woman killed as bus to Odisha carrying firecrackers catches fire in Bengal

The fire started from the driver’s cabin where some firecrackers were stacked and soon engulfed the entire bus reducing it to ashes in a span of a few minutes

Published on: Nov 11, 2023, 10:36:09 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A 34-year-old woman from Odisha’s Kendrapara district was charred to death while 24 others were injured after the bus she was travelling in caught fire on Friday night near Madhapur in Kharagpur.

The driver and the helper of the bus fled the spot immediately after the vehicle caught fire. (Representative file image)

Officials in Balasore district said Puspanjali Das of Nolia village in Kendrapara district was coming from Babughat area in Kolkata to Paradip along with her husband Rajendra Das, who worked in Kolkata, and their son and daughter when the bus they were travelling in caught fire mid-way near Madhapur between 9pm and 10pm.

The fire started from the driver’s cabin where some firecrackers were stacked and soon engulfed the entire bus reducing it to ashes in a span of a few minutes.

Also Read:Two dead in bus fire on Delhi-Jaipur Expressway were women, child still missing

The driver and the helper of the bus fled the spot immediately after the vehicle caught fire.

The bus was scheduled to reach Paradip at 5am on Saturday.

Balasore district collector Dattatraya Bhausahab Shinde said of the total 39 passengers in the bus, 31 were from Odisha, including 16 from Kendrapara, two from Paradip and seven from Jajpur.

“A doctor’s team and an ambulance have been sent there. The ambulance will help bring injured passengers to FM Medical College and Hospital if needed. There are 36 passengers who have sustained injuries in the mishap; out of them, 25 are from Odisha. We are bringing them back to Odisha,” he said.

Officials said some passengers got out of the bus breaking the window glass after the fire erupted in the vehicle.

Pushpanjali asked her husband to get down from the bus first. She managed to get out with her daughter. Later, she handed over her son to husband through the window. However, she was killed in the fire while trying to save an old couple.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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