Greater Noida, Sep 24: At least nine people, including a woman, were burnt to death and several others injured after a sleeper tourist bus carrying more than 34 passengers caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida in the early hours of Thursday, trapping several passengers inside.
The incident took place in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district when the bus, travelling from Delhi towards Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh, caught fire around 11 pm. Most of the passengers were asleep when the blaze erupted.
Following a distress call, 8-10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot as emergency personnel worked through the night to douse the flames and rescue those trapped inside, an official said.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. However, a preliminary investigation indicated that a short circuit in the air-conditioning system may have triggered the blaze, police said.
The driver and conductor of the bus have been arrested, while Jewar police have registered a case against them under provisions relating to culpable homicide.
A passenger who survived the incident recalled the panic inside the bus, saying she was asleep when someone suddenly banged on the door.
“By the time I woke up, the bus was surrounded by a crowd and smoke had filled the vehicle,” she said.
“I didn’t pick up any of my belongings; I didn’t even put on my shoes. I just grabbed my phone and stepped out,” the passenger said.
She said passengers struggled to escape as intense pushing and shoving broke out inside the burning vehicle.
“Someone eventually pulled me out. I don’t remember anything else after that,” she said.
Describing the conditions inside the bus, the passenger said visibility had dropped to almost zero because of the smoke and several people were struggling to breathe.
“Very few managed to escape, only those who could push their way out amidst the shoving,” she said, adding that several passengers behind her may not have been able to get out.
