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12 killed, 41 injured as bus catches fire after hitting truck in Nashik
At least 12 passengers, including a child, were killed, and 41 others injured, after a private luxury bus caught fire after hitting a truck early Saturday morning in Nashik
At least 12 passengers, including a child, were killed, and 41 others injured, after a private luxury bus caught fire after hitting a truck early Saturday morning in Nashik.
According to police, the accident took place near Nandura Naka at around 5:15 am when the sleeper coach bus of a private tourist operator, Chintamani Travels, collided with a truck carrying coal.
After hitting the truck, the bus also hit a mini cargo van, due to which the latter got overturned.
According to the administration, the bus was carrying around 53 passengers, including the driver and one more person, far more than the actual number of seats.
Senior police official said ten of the 41 injured are critical and are undergoing treatment at intensive care unit (ICU). The 21 others were being treated for moderate injuries while the remaining were discharged after preliminary medical aid.
The death count in the accident, according to officials, may go up as the condition of some of the injured persons is serious. The deceased included a two-year-old child, he said, adding that the bus was completely gutted in the fire.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde, who visited the accident spot and inquired health of the injured in the hospital, announced financial assistance of ₹5 lakh to the families of the dead and said the medical expenses of the injured would be borne by the state government. The injured people were admitted to civil and private hospitals for medical treatment.
“All injured people are being treated in Nashik. The government will bear all medical expenses,” said Dada Bhuse, guardian minister of Nashik.
According to eyewitnesses and officials, the fire was so intense that they could not do anything to save the passengers for some time and had to stand there helplessly. The passengers who were asleep did not first realise, and when they did, many tried to step out through the main door which was locked.
Jayant Naiknaware, commissioner of police, Nashik, said, “The Mumbai bound bus (MH 29, AW3100) carrying 30 passengers left Yawatmal on Friday at 3:30 pm. When the bus reached near hotel Mirchi junction in Nashik at around 5:15 am on Saturday, it collided with a trailer truck (GJ05, BX0226) heading towards Pune.”
The chief minister has ordered a probe to ascertain the cause of death.
“Prima facie, the bus hit the truck at the back side of the cabin near the diesel tank, as a result of which, it caught fire and 12 passengers were charred to death. Locals and police personnel shifted injured passengers to nearby hospitals. We are investigating the exact cause of the accident,” said Naiknaware.
”After the accident, the truck driver fled from the spot, and we are looking for him,” Naiknaware added.
Guddu Jayaswal, owner of Chintamani Travels, said, “In the morning, I got a call from my staff that there was an accident involving our bus. We are not sure what exactly happened.”
People residing in the area where the accident took place, said they heard a loud sound and came out of their houses to see what was wrong. But by that time, the fire had spread in the bus. The blaze was so intense that they could not even go near the vehicle to help the passengers stuck inside.
Many passengers were sleeping inside the bus at the time of the accident. Some of them heard a loud noise. When they tried to reach the door of the bus it got jammed, and hence many of them managed to escape by breaking the window glass, said officials.
