At least 25 passengers, including 10 women and a two-year old girl, were charred to death after a private bus crashed into a median barrier, fell over onto its left side and burst into flames on the Samruddhi Mahamarg near Pimpalkhuta, in Sindkhed Raja taluka of Buldhana.
This is the highest toll in a single incident on the “accident-prone” expressway, a part of which was inaugurated in December 2022. Eight people, including the driver, managed to escape the inferno and are recuperating at different hospitals.
It took around 5-6 days for DNA identification tests, as most of the bodies burnt beyond recognition. The state government convinced the families of all the deceased to allow a mass cremation of the victims at Buldhana.
The Nagpur-Pune Vidarbha Travels bus had started at around 5pm. Passengers had also boarded from Wardha and Yavatmal, after which the bus had entered the Samruddhi Expressway at Karanja at 11.08 pm, accord to the toll booth timestamp. It had 27 passengers and six crew, including two drivers.
A report by the Amravati RTO stated the bus was likely travelling at 70 kmph as it took 2.24 hours to travel 152 km to reach the spot where the accident occurred. The bus rammed a pole on the right hand side, then hit the median divider which ripped the front axle from the chassis, and the bus fell over onto its left side. This blocked the main exit for any passengers trying to get out.
By hitting the divider had also damaged the diesel tank, spilling fuel as the bus slid on its side for some distance. The sparks from the sliding bus set the fuel ablaze and the entire bus was engulfed in flames in minutes. Its engine oil sump, too, caught fire after hitting the road.