At Nalhar medical school on Saturday, 10-year-old Jovita’s mom Mona was screaming her daughter’s title whereas sitting on the pavement of the autopsy home. Subsequent to her, Ritika Kakkar (38) was ready to obtain the physique of her mom, Usha Sharma.
Jovita and Usha had been amongst 9 individuals killed after their AC vacationer bus going from Mathura-Vrindavan in direction of Chandigarh caught hearth on the KMP expressway close to Dhulawat village in Tauru round 2.30 am on Saturday. Police stated 20 others sustained accidents. The deceased have been recognized as Jovita alias Khushi, Usha Sharma, Shashi Sharma, Sunita Bhasin, Amar Devi, Darshan Lal, Gautam Sharma, and Ashok Kumar Bhatia. One individual is but to be recognized, police added.
The bus had 60 folks on board — 35 ladies, 21 males, and 4 youngsters together with the driving force and the conductor — who had left Punjab on Might 10 to go to temples in Uttar Pradesh together with Vrindavan, Mathura and Ayodhya; they had been returning residence on Friday evening. Most of the passengers had been associated, and this was a part of their 30-year-old annual ritual.
4 hearth engines introduced the hearth underneath management.
Primarily based on a grievance by a passenger, Rakesh Kumar from Jalandhar, police registered an FIR.
“We had been returning residence from Vrindavan round 11 pm Friday. On reaching the KMP
expressway, our bus abruptly caught hearth… we advised the bus driver to drag over, however he didn’t accomplish that instantly. When the smoke bought denser, the driving force stopped the bus. The car was engulfed in flames by that point… Many people jumped out — passersby helped a number of passengers to get off the burning bus and in addition admitted them to hospitals… The incident occurred because of the negligence and carelessness of the driving force. Authorized motion ought to be taken towards him,” Kumar alleged within the grievance.
In line with the Parivahan web site, the bus was registered in December 2023 and the required vacationer allow, insurance coverage and certificates had been intact.
‘Solely bones remained’
Chatting with The Indian Express, Ritika Kakkar, who lives along with her husband in Uttarakhand, stated her mother and father had been on the bus — whereas her father managed to get out, her mom couldn’t.
“My father referred to as me… We left residence at 2.30 pm and reached the hospital round 8 pm. My brother and father noticed (my mom’s) physique. There was nothing to see, solely bones… I didn’t need to see the stays… The fireplace unfold rapidly and he or she was trapped inside… My mother and father have been happening this journey for 30 years now. The bus was new this yr, but this occurred.”
Staring off into the gap, Ritika’s father Manmohan recounted that the bus was shut tight. Passengers who couldn’t attain the door broke open the home windows to get out in determined makes an attempt to flee the blaze.
Rohit Sharma from Hoshiarpur stated he obtained a name in regards to the incident from his brother Mohit who was on the bus. “Mohit advised me he had raised an alarm, however the driver paid no consideration… My cousin Gautam bought off the bus, however then realised that his mom Shashi was inside, so he boarded the bus once more… each of them died,” Rohit advised The Indian Specific.
Later within the day, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini expressed grief over the lack of lives within the hearth incident, whereas assuring the absolute best therapy to these injured. Former CM Manohar Lal Khattar additionally prolonged his condolences to the households of the victims. President Droupadi Murmu, condoling the lack of lives, prayed for the speedy restoration of the injured. Raj Babbar, Congress’s candidate from Gurgaon for the Lok Sabha polls, in the meantime, visited the kin of the victims on the hospital.
Nuh Deputy Commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata stated a forensic group from Madhuban is on their method to Nuh to find out the reason for the hearth. SHO (Sadar Tauru) Jitender Kumar stated additional investigation is on to hint and nab the absconding bus driver.