New Delhi.- At least 25 people died this Saturday in a bus accident in western India, after the vehicle crashed when it lost control after a flat tire and later caught fire.
“The bus was traveling at high speed when it collided with a wall on the expressway, having punctured a tire, and the tank exploded, causing a fire,” said Baburao Mahamuni, a deputy superintendent of police in Buldana district, in the western state of Maharashtra where the event took place.
The source specified that at least 25 of the 33 passengers traveling on the bus died in the accident, which occurred around two in the morning (8:30 am on Friday GMT) on the highway connecting the cities of Nagpur and Pune.
The head of the Government of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a statement and announced financial compensation.
“I am deeply saddened by the devastating bus accident in Buldhana, Maharashtra. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible help to those affected,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.
Traffic accidents in India are frequent due to the poor condition of the roads, the precarious conditions of some vehicles and the general lack of respect for traffic regulations.
Last May, at least 22 people died and 31 were injured after the bus they were traveling in fell from a bridge into a dead river in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
In 2021, 153,972 people were killed in India and more than 384,448 injured in some 412,432 car accidents, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Road and Highway Transport.
