Seven people have been killed and 22 others injured after a sleeper bus collided with a trailer truck and burst into flames on the Delhi–Mumbai expressway near Rajasthan’s Dausa.
The accident occurred around 2:30am Wednesday when the bus, traveling at high speed from Rishikesh to Indore, first hit the truck. Both vehicles then caught fire, reports NDTV.
Visuals showed the vehicles engulfed in flames as passengers screamed for help. Officials said passengers from the upper berths were thrown to the ground. Five victims died from burn injuries, while two succumbed to head injuries.
Eyewitnesses reported that most of those who died were asleep at the time. Firefighting teams worked to extinguish the blaze and rescue trapped passengers.
The injured, mostly women and children, were admitted to Dausa district hospital.
Police suspect the bus driver may have dozed off, with excessive speed also considered a factor. Locals alleged that rescue and fire brigade officials arrived late, delaying evacuation by nearly an hour.
They also claimed the bus’s storage compartment was filled with cigarette packets, which fueled the fire’s rapid spread.
Authorities said the local administration is investigating the cause of the accident and working to identify the injured.
