INDIA. Mumbai: This morning, 12 people were killed and 22 injured when a bus they were travelling in caught fire. The bus collided with a tanker-trailer on the Jodhpur National Highway near the village of Bhandiyawas in Rajasthan’s Barmer district.
While 19 injured passengers have been transferred to the government-run Nahta Hospital (Nahta Rajkiya Chikitsalaya in Balot), three seriously injured passengers have been rushed to Jodhpur hospital.
A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Madan Prajapat of Pachpadra, Barmer constituency, visited the hospital shortly after the accident. MLA Prajapat told the Transcontinental Times that it is difficult to identify those killed in the accident as their bodies have been charred beyond recognition.
The bus departed from Balotra at 9:55 am and the accident took place when the trailer, coming from the wrong side of the road, collided with the bus. Both vehicles caught fire following the collision. The trailer was heading towards Gujarat, Prajapat added.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot directed the district collector regarding relief and rescue operations and also asked him to ensure medical treatment for the injured. The best possible treatment will be ensured for those injured in the accident, Gehlot said in a tweet.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia also mourned the deaths of people in the mishap in a tweet.
Condoning the deaths in the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, for the closest relatives of those who lost their lives in the accident and the injured would receive Rs 50,000 each.
The injured passengers included three from the state of Tamil Nadu and the rest were from different parts of Rajasthan, namely: Jyoti (25, Tamilnadu), Pradip (32, Jodhpur), Mukesh (35, Balotara), Akbar (50, Jalor) Puja (26, Jodhpur), Surendra Singh (31, Sivana), Santoshkumar (21, Thapan), Sukhi (25, Asotara), Shakil (35, Jodhpur), Mafi (18, Pachpadra), Swarupkumar (18, Sarana), Jayaram (Umarlai), Bhomaram (22, Shobhdavas), Parvatsingh (32, Dhungargadh), Hashir Singh (3, Dhungargadh), Suman Kunwar (Dungargadh), and Tambaram (22, Balotara).
