‘He crawled to main door and let out several passengers’: Hero conductor helped many after Jaisalmer bus fire

“He [Rafiq] was checking tickets near the last seats when smoke started to billow inside. He moved forward to open the main door,” his brother Irfan told the media. “As he reached the middle of the bus, flames erupted from the roof and there was an explosion. He was injured and fell. In his scorched state, he crawled to the main gate, opened it, and pulled several people out.”

Officials said the bus, heading to Jodhpur, had around 50 passengers. While the cause of the fire is still unclear, initial reports suggest it began at the rear of the bus and spread quickly. Locals helped in the rescue.

Jaisalmer Additional Superintendent of Police Kailash Dan Jugtawat said its still unclear what caused the fire.

“The exact reason of the death will be cleared after the FSL report is submitted. We found 19 bodies inside the vehicle and others were referred to the hospital. One person died while being taken to Jodhpur. Since the bus doors and windows were closed and there was no way of getting out of the vehicle, some passengers died from suffocation.”

Patients were first taken to Jaisalmer and later referred to Jodhpur’s Dr S. N. Medical College. “We received 15 patients around 9 p.m. from Jaisalmer. Five are on ventilators as they have more than 70 percent burns,” said Dr B. S. Jodha, principal of the college. “Others have 40–50% burns. Three were immediately put on ventilators.”

Officials said the dead are yet to be identified. Ten bodies are at S. N. Medical College and the rest at AIIMS, Jodhpur, with police working to identify them. Jaisalmer Collector Pratap Singh said a helpline has been set up for affected families.

Eyewitnesses said several passengers jumped off the bus to escape, but many couldn’t. Peer Mohammed said he managed to push out his wife, sister-in-law and one child after breaking a window — but couldn’t save his two children sleeping on the top berth.

“By then, the flames were so intense I couldn’t save them. I survived, but they were burned alive,” he told the media.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, who visited Jaisalmer to review relief efforts, posted on X: “The incident of a bus catching fire in Jaisalmer is extremely heart-wrenching. I express my deepest condolences to the people affected. Instructions have been given to ensure proper treatment for the injured and all possible assistance to those affected.”