AT LEAST 25 people, including a two-year-old child, died when the bus they were travelling in caught fire after hitting a pole on the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway near Buldhana in Maharashtra early on Saturday. Eight people were injured in the accident.
Police suspect the driver of the private bus, which was heading from Nagpur to Pune, may have fallen asleep behind the wheel and lost control. They have registered a case under Section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) against the driver, Sheikh Danish Sheikh Ismail, who survived with minor injuries. He has been taken into police custody.
According to the police, there were 30 passengers, two drivers and another staffer in the bus. The incident took place around 1.30 am.
“The bus was travelling at a high speed when it hit the pole and then a small structure (wall) on the highway. Due to the impact, the bus overturned and its diesel tank exploded, following which the bus caught fire,” said Buldhana Superintendent of Police Sunil Kadasne.
According to a police officer, the fire engulfed the sleeper bus instantly because of the mattresses on board.
After being alerted, local police and highway traffic police along with officials from other government agencies reached the spot. “The injured were taken to a nearby hospital. So far, 25 people have succumbed to their injuries,” Kadasne said.
The authorities said that one of the eight injured, whose condition was stated to be critical, was shifted to a hospital in Aurangabad. The rest sustained minor injuries.
“I was sleeping on seat number 30, the last seat in the bus. I woke up when three other passengers fell on me. We realised that there was an accident… we managed to shatter the window glass and jump out. After we jumped out, we realised that the opening had become inaccessible for others as the fire spread rapidly,” Ayush Ghadge, one of the survivors, told reporters.
Later in the day, the authorities started collecting DNA samples to confirm the identification of the bodies, many of whom were charred beyond recognition. Forensic teams from Amravati and Nagpur were called in after which the officials started collecting DNA samples of the families to match them with the bodies.
Authorities in Buldhana are planning to conduct a mass funeral of those who died in the accident. “It is still at a discussion stage because it will take at least 5-7 days to get the DNA reports. The charred bodies cannot be preserved for so long. It will need special facilities, which are not available. We will seek approval from the family members and conduct a mass funeral on Sunday,” said an official.
When contacted, minister Girish Mahajan said the final decision on the mass funeral will be taken on Sunday.
The state government announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the victims. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the accident site in the afternoon and subsequently met the injured at the hospital.
“The accident occurred around 1.30 in the night. The bus collided with a pole, which led to the bursting of the diesel tank. The vehicle then skidded on the road, which caused it to catch fire. There was no way to rescue those who were stuck in the bus. Eight passengers have survived and are under treatment,” Shinde said after visiting the spot.
“Maximum accidents on Samruddhi highway are taking place due to human error with drivers dozing off. We will do everything possible to ensure that these accidents don’t occur again,” he said.
The Chief Minister announced that a committee of experts will be formed to study the reasons behind accidents on the Samruddhi Expressway and action will be taken based on that.
In a message posted by his office on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected.”
Offering condolences, Leader of Opposition and NCP leader Ajit Pawar said the Samruddhi Expressway has been witnessing accidents since its inauguration last year leading to loss of lives. He blamed flawed structure and human errors for the accidents and demanded action.
AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel said, “The highway has become accident-prone. And, every time the government shows sympathy and offers ex gratia Rs 5 lakh. Has the lives of individuals become so cheap? The state government should get experts to identify the reasons for accidents.”
Additional Director General (Highway Traffic) Dr Ravinder Singal said, “We are also conducting a parallel probe into the accident. We have learnt there was no technical fault in the bus that could have led to the accident. We are trying to identify measures to prevent such accidents in future.”
The expressway, officially named as The Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-km stretch connecting Mumbai and Nagpur. A total of 600 km of the stretch has been opened for public use in two phases. The first phase of 520 km, between Nagpur and Shirdi, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year, while the second phase, between Shirdi and Bharvir, was inaugurated in May by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Now, only a 100-km stretch between Bharvir in Igatpuri and Mumbai remains to be completed.
It is the country’s second longest expressway and, when fully operational, it is expected to reduce travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai to eight hours from 16 hours.
With inputs from Rupsa Chakroborty
It was a sleeper bus and due to the mattresses on board, the bus caught fire instantly, a police official said. (Express) 
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