Nine people died and 15 were injured in a fire in a bus carrying pilgrims in India, the agency PTI reported. "As a result of the incident, nine people died - six women and three men. Fifteen people were injured and hospitalized. The condition of all the injured is stable”, the agency quoted traffic police inspector Jitendra Kumar.
A bus caught fire on a highway in the northern state of Haryana overnight on May 18, officials said. On it, the faithful returned from pilgrimage. There were more than 60 people in the bus, including women and children.
Survivors said they smelled smoke in the back of the bus at night when most of the passengers were asleep. A motorist following the bus noticed the flames and alerted the driver. After the bus stopped, local residents tried to put out the fire and rescue people. Firefighters arrived when the bus was fully engulfed in flames.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.