At least 13 people were killed and 14 injured when a bus caught fire in central India, involved in an accident with a truck, official sources said on Thursday.
About 30 people were traveling in a private bus in Guna district, central Madhya Pradesh state, when a truck hit the vehicle last Wednesday evening, the region’s deputy magistrate Dinesh Sanvle said in statements collected by Indian agency PTI. .
“The impact of the truck sounded like a bomb explosion. The bus overturned and was surrounded by flames, with people on top of each other. I could not save my daughter,” one of the surviving passengers, Shriram Ojha, told the newspaper. Indian Express.
According to Sanvle, 13 people died in the fire that broke out when the bus overturned, and another 14 injured were taken to a nearby hospital.
“A four-member committee has been formed to probe the Guna bus accident case,” Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on social media site X.
Responding to reports in several regional media that the bus did not have the proper certificates to ply on the road, Yadav said in a video statement that he had instructed local authorities to be “vigilant” with this type of vehicle and “take measures “.
The head of government also announced financial compensation of 400,000 rupees (about $4,800) for the relatives of the deceased and 50,000 rupees (about $600) for the injured.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in turn, said he felt “torn” by the accident.
Road accidents in India are common due to the poor condition of the roads, the precarious conditions of some vehicles and the general lack of respect for traffic rules.
Last November, at least 36 people died in Indian-administered Kashmir after the bus they were traveling in plunged into a ravine.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, 153,972 people died and over 384,448 people were injured in around 412,432 car accidents in India in 2021.
Source: El heraldo
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
