Eight passengers were killed and more than 25 others injured when a sleeper coach traveling from Rishikesh-Haridwar to Indore caught fire after colliding with a trailer on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Dausa in the early hours of Wednesday.
A police spokesman said the accident occurred around 02:30-03:00 am early on the highway near Kolwa town in the Dausa district. The private sleeper coach was heading for Indore when it collided with the trailer and skidded off in a roadside khud. Soon it caught fire that initially broke in the rear side and spread soon engulfing the whole bus.
Soon, the trailer also caught fire.
It is also reported that consignment of cigarettes and other items were there loaded in the Dickey of the bus.
The initial reports of the mishap put the death toll at two but later six bodies were found in the burnt bus.
The injured were rushed to the nearby hospitals. The senior district and police officials also rush to the spot.
Eight seriously injured passengers were admitted to the Dausa District Hospital. Authorities created a Green Corridor upto Dausa for speedy hassle free shifting the injured to theDausa Hospital.
Locals from nearby villages were the first to reach the accident site and initiated the efforts to retrieve and rescue victims.
Since most of the passengers were in sleep at the time of mishap, 6 reportedly burnt alive while 2 succumbed to head injuries.
The authorities will arrange DNA test for the identification of at least 7 deceased.
Most of the deceased and injured reportedly hail hail from Madhya Pradesh.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has expressed grief over loss of human lives in the accident. Sharma prayed for eternal peace for the departed souls and speedy recovery for injured ones.