Ten feared dead as sleeper bus catches fire near Jaisalmer

At least ten persons were feared dead and sixteen others sustained burn injuries when an air-conditioned sleeper bus travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire near Thaiyat village on Tuesday afternoon. Several of the injured, including women and children, are reported to be in critical condition.

Those injured were taken to the Jawahar Government Hospital in Jaisalmer and later referred to Jodhpur. Most of them are said to have sustained burns of up to 70%. The flames reportedly erupted from the rear section of the bus as it was crossing the war museum, about 20 km from Jaisalmer.

There were 57 passengers on board the overloaded private bus. The bodies of the deceased remained inside the vehicle till late evening, as rescue efforts were delayed due to intense heat. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Municipal Council Fire Officer Krishnapal Singh Rathore said the bus was completely engulfed in flames when the fire brigade arrived. “Though the fire was doused by our team, 10 to 12 passengers are feared to have been burnt alive,” Mr. Rathore said.

According to eyewitness accounts, several passengers jumped out of the moving vehicle in a desperate attempt to escape the blaze. The fire broke out around 3:30 p.m., and flames quickly engulfed the entire bus. Residents of Thaiyat village and passers-by rushed to the spot to assist in relief efforts.

Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma expressed deep sorrow over the incident and cancelled all engagements in Jaipur. Mr. Sharma, accompanied by Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar, left for Jaisalmer by a special plane to visit the site and was expected to travel to Jodhpur later to meet the injured.