KMP Expressway Tragedy: Nine people were killed and several others injured when the bus they were traveling in caught fire on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway near Haryana’s Nuh district early Friday morning, around 2:30 am, according to officials.
The bus was reportedly carrying devotees traveling to Chandigarh from Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh when the incident occurred. According to the police, there were around 60 people onboard, all pilgrims from Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, and Chandigarh.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
The injured have been taken to Nuh Medical College for treatment, as reported by ANI. The police informed that the fire was brought under control within an hour with the help of locals and a police team.
Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed expressed grief over the incident, noting that several people, including the elderly, women, and children, were injured.
A video posted by PTI shows the charred bus on the expressway, with several people and ambulances at the scene.
VIDEO | At least eight people were killed when the bus they were travelling in caught fire on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway near Nuh, #Haryana, late on Friday.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 18, 2024
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/xeE7XkhBGD
In a similar incident earlier this week, six people, including an eight-year-old girl, were killed and 13 others injured when a private bus burst into flames after colliding with a tipper truck laden with gravel in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district. The accident occurred around 1:30 am between Annambatlavari Palem and Pasumarru villages near Chilakaluripet, as the bus was traveling to Hyderabad from Chinnaganjam town in Bapatla district with about 40 passengers.
Following that incident, Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and Telugu Desam Party Chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief and offered condolences to the bereaved families. The governor also instructed officials to provide proper medical care to the injured.