Buldhana (Maharashtra): The owner of the ill-fated bus, involved in a horrendous accident in which 25 passengers were killed in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra, said that the vehicle was bought in 2020 and due to the presence of flammable items in the bus, it caught fire.
In a devastating incident on the Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway in Maharashtra, 25 people including three children were charred to death after a bus carrying 33 passengers caught fire early this morning.
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"We bought the bus in January 2020. It did not operate for one year after the lockdown was imposed in March 2020. It is a new vehicle and all its documents are in place," bus owner Virendra Darna said.
According to its owner, the bus driver identified as Danish was experienced. "We have got information that the bus hit the road divider after tyre burst. Due to the presence of flammable items in the bus, the vehicle caught fire," added Darna.
As soon as the information about the accident came to light, the emergency medical service team deployed for the highway as well as the fire brigade reached the spot and started the rescue operation. The injured passengers were admitted to a nearby hospital. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have expressed grief over the horrific accident. The CM has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of those killed in the mishap. The CM spoke to the Buldhana District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police and instructed them to provide immediate help to the accident victims.
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