Bus carrying devotees catches fire in Haryana 9 burnt to death.

Photo : PTI

Nine devotees tragically lost their lives, and dozens more sustained injuries when a bus carrying them caught fire on the Kundali-Manesar-Palwal Expressway in Haryana on Friday night. The devotees, who had embarked on a pilgrimage to Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, were returning home when the fire incident occurred near Nuh.

The bus, which belonged to a family of over 60 individuals from Punjab, including women and children, became engulfed in flames, leading to a devastating tragedy. Survivors recounted smelling smoke around 1:30 am on Saturday, prompting immediate concern among passengers.

Amidst the chaos, a vigilant motorcycle rider noticed flames emanating from the rear of the bus and swiftly took action. He followed the bus, managing to catch up and alert the driver, who promptly stopped the vehicle, potentially averting an even greater catastrophe.

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"We had hired the bus to go on a pilgrimage to holy sites for 10 days. We were returning home on Friday night. We smelled smoke while we were sleeping. The bus stopped after the motorcycle rider alerted the driver," shared one of the survivors, reflecting the harrowing ordeal.

Following the bus's halt, locals sprang into action, alerting authorities and attempting to extinguish the flames while rescuing passengers trapped inside. Despite their valiant efforts, the fire raged on until the arrival of the fire brigade, which swiftly doused the blaze and facilitated the evacuation of the injured to nearby medical facilities.

However, locals expressed frustration over the delayed response of fire officials, alleging that they arrived nearly three hours after the bus had been engulfed in flames. "We ran behind the bus and broke the windows to pull out as many people as we could before the fire grew too intense. We informed police but they took too long to arrive," lamented a local resident.

Inspector Jitendra Kumar, providing details on the tragic incident, stated, "Nine people -- six women and three men -- were killed in the accident. Fifteen people were injured and have been hospitalized. All the injured are stable." As investigations continue, authorities are working to determine the cause of the fire, hoping to prevent similar tragedies in the future.