7 killed in massive bus fire in Rajasthan

At least seven people were killed in a massive fire in an air-conditioned sleeper bus on the Delhi-Mumbai highway near Dausa district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. At least 22 others were injured in the incident. Most of the injured were women and children.
The accident took place at around 2:30 am on Tuesday (June 30). After the accident, the fire spread rapidly in the bus, causing many passengers to run for their lives. Some tried to escape by breaking windows. However, some were trapped inside the bus and lost their lives due to the intensity of the fire.
According to Indian media reports, the bus was going from Rishikesh in Uttarakhand to Indore in Madhya Pradesh. While traveling at high speed near Dausa, the bus collided with a large freight truck. The bus and the truck caught fire immediately after the collision. Panic spread all around as the fire spread rapidly. Various scenes from the scene show that both vehicles were almost completely burnt in the fire. Flames were visible from a distance. Locals initially tried to rescue the passengers on their own. Later, the fire brigade and rescue teams reached the spot and brought the fire under control and rescued the injured and sent them to the hospital.
Officials said that five of the deceased died of burns. The remaining two died due to serious head injuries. Some passengers who were on the upper berth of the bus fell down during the accident and were seriously injured. Eyewitnesses said that most of the deceased were sleeping at the time of the accident. 22 injured were rushed to Dausa District Hospital.
Doctors said that the condition of some of them is critical. Since the number of women and children among the injured is high, the hospital authorities have arranged special treatment. The specific cause of the accident is not yet confirmed. However, the initial police suspicion is that the bus driver fell asleep or the bus was moving at high speed. The investigation is underway with emphasis on these two issues. In addition, the mechanical condition of the bus is also being examined.
Meanwhile, local residents have alleged that the rescue team and firefighters were late in reaching the spot after the accident. They claim that a few more lives could have been saved if the rescue operation had started sooner. According to locals, the passengers trapped in the bus were brought out about an hour after the fire broke out.
Some local residents also alleged that there were a lot of cigarette packets in the luggage compartment of the bus. Due to these flammable materials, the fire spread quickly. However, no official statement has been made by the administration in this regard yet.
The Rajasthan administration has said that an investigation has been launched to find out the exact cause of the accident. In addition to confirming the identities of the deceased, their relatives are being contacted. The administration also said that all necessary assistance is being provided for the treatment of the injured. In recent times, a series of major road accidents in India have raised concerns about the safety of passengers. Especially in the case of long-distance buses, excessive speeding, continuous driving by drivers and questions about fire safety measures have come to the fore again. This tragic accident in Dausa has deepened those concerns.