Nashik: In a tragic incident, 11 passengers were charred to death while 38 others sustained injuries after their bus collided with a fuel tanker in Nashik district of Maharashtra in the early hours of Saturday. The actual number of casualties might increase as several injured passengers are reported to be in a critical condition.
The accident took place in Nandur Naka on the Nashik-Aurangbad Highway. The bus rammed into the tanker following which the explosion occurred and it caught fire.
The Mumbai-bound private bus had departed Yavatmal at 3:30 pm on Friday. It collided with the tanker around 5:30 am. Most passengers could not escape as they were asleep. Some managed to jump out of the windows.
“The critical patients were rushed to the nearest hospital,” Nashik Municipal Commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar was quoted in reports as saying.
State Guardian Minister Dada Bhuse announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of the deceased from the CM fund. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed his grief over the tragic incident.
The state will bear the treatment cost of the injured, Shinde added.
नाशिक- नांदूरनाका येथे खाजगी बसच्या भीषण अपघातात ११ प्रवाशांचा मृत्यू झाला असून या दुर्घटनेबद्दल मुख्यमंत्री @mieknathshinde यांनी तीव्र दुःख व्यक्त केले आहे. या दुर्दैवी घटनेतील मृतांच्या नातेवाईकांना ५ लाख रुपयांची मदत शासनाच्या वतीने जाहीर करण्यात आली आहे. #Nashik
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) October 8, 2022
Deeply pained to know about unfortunate accident of a private bus & tanker in #Nashik.
Heartfelt condolences to families who lost their loved ones.
Praying for speedy recovery of the injured.— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) October 8, 2022