At least 25 people, including three children, were killed and eight others injured when the bus they were travelling in caught fire on an expressway in Maharashtra early this morning.
About 33 people were in the bus which was on its way to Pune, officials said, adding that the accident occurred at around 1.30 am on the Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway.
Police said the bus overturned after hitting a pole on the expressway and caught fire in Buldhana district. "The driver of the bus, who survived the incident, said that the bus hit the pole after a tyre burst," they said, NDT reported.
The bus overturned on the side of the doors, blocking it, because of which nobody could get out, police said.
"25 people were burnt to death in the accident. The injured, including the bus driver, have been shifted to a hospital for treatment, said, Sunil Kadasane, Superintendent of Police, Buldhana.
He said a case has been registered and an investigation is on. "The priority at this moment is to identify the bodies and hand them over to their family members," said Kadasane.
MNA/PR