ALBAWABA- At least 20 people were killed and 15 others injured when a passenger bus caught fire on the Jaisalmer–Jodhpur highway in western Rajasthan on Tuesday, in one of the country’s deadliest road tragedies this month.
Authorities said an electrical short circuit likely triggered the blaze, which engulfed the vehicle within minutes, trapping passengers inside.
The fire erupted around midday as the bus, carrying 57 passengers from Jaisalmer, neared Pokhran. Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion before flames spread through the cabin.
A jammed door prevented many from escaping, and rescuers later recovered 19 charred bodies from the wreckage, while one victim died en route to a hospital in Jodhpur. Three children were among the dead, and several survivors remain in critical condition.
Police and fire crews reached the scene quickly, extinguishing the blaze after nearly an hour. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma expressed deep sorrow, announcing compensation for victims’ families and ordering a high-level investigation into vehicle safety lapses.
The tragedy adds to a string of deadly incidents across India in recent weeks. Earlier this month, a landslide in Himachal Pradesh buried a bus, killing 15 people, while flash floods in West Bengal and eastern states left dozens dead.
