Buldhana: In a tragic incident, a bus burst into flames on Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway in Maharashtra on Saturday killing over 25 passengers on the spot and leaving several others injured.
The private bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune when it hit a pole and then rammed into a divider at around 1.30 am near Pimpalkhuta village, police said.
The driver of the bus who did not sustain critical injuries in the accident said the moving bus overturned and caught fire after a tyre burst.
There were 33-odd passengers on the bus, an official said, adding the eight passengers who survived were admitted to a nearby hospital.
According to reports, 25 bodies were recovered from the bus.
Many of the passengers hailed from Nagpur, Wardha and Yavatmal, the official said.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has expressed grief over the tragedy and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs for the kin of each deceased, and free treatment for the injured.
The police are probing the tragedy and the exact causes of the accident in which one driver was killed and the second has survived.
(With agency inputs)
