Buldhana Bus Accident: Maharashtra police on Saturday said that tyre burst was the main cause behind the fatal tragedy in which 25 passengers of 33, including three children, were killed while eight others were injured in Buldhana district in the state. According to ANI, officials said that the driver told the police that the accident took place after a tyre burst, causing the bus to overturn. He added that later, the diesel tank of the bus caught fire.
"The driver of the bus who survived the accident said that the vehicle overturned after a tyre burst, and later caught fire killing 25 people on the spot and leaving 8 others injured," Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasane told ANI.
"There are 3 children among those who died and the rest are adults. Those injured in the accident have been taken to Buldhana Civil Hospital and admitted there," he said. "We are further looking into the matter," he added.
According to officials, the bus was travelling from Maharashtra's Yavatmal to Pune and met with an accident on the Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway in Maharashtra's Buldhana at around 1:30 am on Saturday.
"The time when the accident occurred it was late night and people were sleeping. Many people could not come out and they died. Some people who could get out after the bus caught fire somehow survived and the rest died," they said, as quoted by ANI.
"The most important thing in the investigation is that we identify the dead and hand over the bodies to their families," they further said.
Meanwhile, speaking on the incident, Maharashtra Deputy CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that road construction on Samruddhi Mahamarg Expressway is not responsible for the accident. He added that human error and vehicle error have appeared as a major causes of the accidents so far. Fadnavis also said that smart systems are being fixed to warn drivers and for other safety measures.
Fadnavis also said that the bodies will be identified using DNA testing if required so that they can be handed over to their families.
Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan said that the bus driver and conductor have been taken into custody by police.
Reacting to the accident, Uddhav Thackeray faction leader and MP Sanjay Raut said that the incident is 'disheartening' and that despite several accidents, the government is not paying heed to it.
"The accident that took place today on Samruddhi highway is extremely disheartening. Several accidents are taking place on this road but the government is not paying heed to it," he told ANI.
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