Nine devotees tragically lost their lives, and dozens sustained injuries when a bus carrying them caught fire on the Kundali-Manesar-Palwal Expressway in Haryana on Friday night. The devotees, returning from a pilgrimage to Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, were caught in the blaze near Nuh.
The bus, transporting over 60 individuals from Punjab, including women and children, was engulfed in flames, leading to a devastating tragedy. Survivors reported smelling smoke around 1:30 am on Saturday, causing immediate concern among passengers.
A vigilant motorcycle rider noticed flames from the rear of the bus and quickly alerted the driver, who then stopped the vehicle, potentially preventing further loss of life.
"We had hired the bus for a 10-day pilgrimage. While returning home on Friday night, we smelled smoke while sleeping. The bus stopped after the motorcycle rider alerted the driver," shared a survivor, recounting the harrowing ordeal.
Locals promptly alerted authorities and attempted to extinguish the flames while rescuing passengers trapped inside. Despite their efforts, the fire continued until the fire brigade arrived and managed to douse the blaze, evacuating the injured to nearby medical facilities.
However, locals expressed frustration over the delayed response from fire officials, alleging they arrived nearly three hours after the bus was engulfed. "We ran behind the bus and broke windows to pull out as many people as we could before the fire grew too intense. We informed police, but they took too long to arrive," lamented a local resident.
Inspector Jitendra Kumar provided details on the tragic incident, stating, "Nine people—six women and three men—were killed in the accident. Fifteen people were injured and have been hospitalized. All the injured are stable." Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
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