India: 25 dead after bus catches fire

At least 25 people died and eight others were injured after the bus they were traveling in caught fire on an expressway in India's western state of Maharashtra on Saturday, police said.

Initially, police officials said a burst tire caused the driver to lose control and hit a road divider, with the vehicle then overturning and its diesel tank catching fire. But on Sunday, the state's transport department refuted this narrative in their preliminary report. Officials ruled out bursting of the tire and also disputed claims of overspeeding, according to The Indian Express newspaper.

The report suggests that the bus covered a distance of 152 kilometers (95 miles) in 2 hours and 24 minutes, and therefore was not overspeeding.

"The bus was not having a problem as per the preliminary findings. However, how the accident happened and whose negligence it was are part of the police investigation," officer Shekhar Channe told the newspaper.

The incident took place around 1:30 am local time (GMT 2030) on a highway in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra state.

Bus driver in custody

Police said at least eight people were injured. The survivors have been admitted to a hospital close to the site of the accident. 

The police have started investigating the crash.

"The priority at this moment is to identify the bodies and hand them over to their family members," local media quoted police superintendent Sunil Kadasane as saying.

"The bus driver and conductor have been taken into custody by police," Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan told Indian news agency ANI.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra's chief minister Eknath Shinde expressed condolences for the victims and their families.

Shinde has pledged compensation of 500,000 rupees ($6,100, €5,600) to the families of those who died in the accident. 

Unsafe roads threaten lives in India

Road accidents are common in India. Most of the accidents take place due to poorly followed safety regulations like excessive speed, not wearing helmets, not using seat belts etc.

According to a World Bank report, the country, despite having just one percent of the world's vehicles, accounts for 11% of the global road death toll.

As per the same report, every four minutes, one person dies due to road accidents in India and annually an estimated 150,000 car crash fatalities take place in the country.

mf/dj (AFP, AP)