Jaipur: Eight people, most of them from Madhya Pradesh, were killed and 28 injured after a private sleeper bus collided with a multi-axle trailer truck on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Dausa district in the early hours of Wednesday.The collision triggered a devastating blaze in which six passengers were burnt alive inside the bus and charred beyond recognition, while two others later died of severe head injuries.The accident, according to a report accessed by TOI, unfolded around 2.50am at Chainage No. 168.8 on the expressway when the sleeper coach, travelling from New Delhi with 36 passengers on board, collided with the truck, which was also coming from the national capital.
Dausa [ Rajasthan], Jul 01 (ANI): A view of charred remains after a bus traveling from Haridwar to Indore lost control and caught fire after colliding with a trailer in the Kolwa police station jurisdiction on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, in Dausa on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)
The impact was followed by what survivors described as a loud explosion. Within moments, flames engulfed the bus, leaving sleeping passengers scrambling to escape through thick smoke and intense heat.A senior police officer said both the bus and the trailer caught fire immediately after the collision and were completely gutted. Rescue teams recovered the bodies of six passengers trapped inside the burning bus and shifted them to the mortuary at Dausa district hospital. Two critically injured passengers later succumbed to their injuries, taking the death toll to eight.Authorities said the condition of six bodies was so severe that visual identification was impossible. DNA profiling has been initiated to establish their identities before the remains can be handed over to grieving families.“There were 36 passengers in the bus. Eight died and 28 were injured. Twelve injured passengers are undergoing treatment at Dausa district hospital, while 16 were discharged after receiving primary treatment,” an official said.According to documents accessed by TOI, the passengers whose identities are being established through DNA profiling include Priyanka Pandey and Deepak from Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh; Nirmala and Dharm Singh from Indore district; Bhumi Bhor from Dhar district; and Deep from Sehore district.The bus, AR11D6565, belonged to Hans Travels and was driven by Rajeev Rathi, with Kuldeep serving as the conductor. Police suspect both were among those killed in the accident, though DNA profiling is under way to confirm their identities.The FIR was registered on the statement of injured passenger Sunny Tawar, 34, a resident of Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh. In his statement, Tanwar said a loud explosion was heard as the bus was travelling along the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. The vehicle then swerved into trees planted along the median before thick smoke rapidly filled the coach. Passengers desperately tried to escape as flames spread through the bus.Officials said the bus and trailer were reduced to skeletal frames, and even three hours after the fire was extinguished, teams continued searching the wreckage for evidence.Each body has been assigned a unique identification number. DNA samples will be collected from family members and matched with samples from the bodies before they are released. “We have detained trailer driver for probe,” said an offiical.A villager involved in the rescue operation said trapped passengers could be heard screaming for help from inside the burning coach.The Dausa district collector has constituted a joint inquiry committee to investigate the cause of the accident.
