Global Courant
MUMBAI – At least 25 people have been killed and eight others injured after a bus caught fire on a highway in western India on Saturday night, police said.
The bus was on its way to the city of Pune when it crashed into a pole and overturned after midnight, causing the diesel tank to catch fire, senior police officer Baburao Mahamuni told AFP.
“There were about 30 to 35 people on the bus. Twenty-five people died and eight others were injured,” he said.
The injured, including the bus driver, have been taken to a hospital near the crash site in Maharashtra state, about 400 kilometers east of Mumbai, India’s financial capital.
Police say they have launched an investigation into the accident.
“The priority at the moment is to identify the bodies and hand them over to their relatives,” local media quoted Superintendent Sunil Kadasane as saying.
Footage showed the bus engulfed in flames and later the charred remains of the vehicle tipped over onto the highway.
Three children were among the dead, a police officer told reporters.
“Deeply saddened by the devastating bus accident in Buldhana,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have lost their lives. May the injured recover quickly.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he felt “deep sorrow” over the accident and promised compensation of 500,000 rupees (S$8,240) to the families of the dead.
Accidents are common on India’s extensive network of roads, which are poorly maintained and notoriously dangerous.
The main causes are excessive speed, failure to wear a helmet – sales of two-wheeled vehicles exceed those of cars – and failure to wear seatbelts.
