Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur
Jaipur, Oct 14: A catastrophic fire claimed 20 lives on Tuesday afternoon when a private AC sleeper bus caught fire while traveling along the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur Highway, near Thaiyat village in Rajasthan. The vehicle, carrying 57 passengers, went up in flames barely 20 kilometres from Jaisalmer, shortly after departing for Jodhpur around 3:00 PM.
The fire, suspected to have been caused by a short circuit in the rear portion of the bus, quickly spread, engulfing the vehicle in minutes. Horrified passengers screamed for help and many jumped from windows to escape the inferno. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic and chaos, with thick smoke and flames visible from a distance.
Among the dead was 79-year-old Hussain Khan, who succumbed to his injuries after being transferred to a hospital in Jodhpur. The remaining 19 passengers died on the spot and were declared dead in Jaisalmer. The intensity of the fire left many bodies charred beyond recognition. Forensic and DNA teams were immediately dispatched from Jodhpur to aid in identifying the deceased. The district administration has appealed to families to contact the emergency helpline for information.
Fifteen others, including women and children, were seriously injured. Some victims suffered burns over 70 per cent of their bodies. They were initially treated at Jawahar Hospital in Jaisalmer and later shifted to Jodhpur using a specially arranged green corridor on NH-125, with police-escorted ambulances clearing the route for rapid transport.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma arrived in Jaisalmer late Tuesday to assess the situation firsthand. He visited the charred remains of the bus and praised the swift action of army personnel and locals who rushed to rescue trapped passengers. Sharma was accompanied by Pokaran MLA Pratap Puri, Sang Singh Bhati, and senior officials. Owing to the scale of the tragedy, Sharma has cancelled his scheduled campaigning in Patna.
In a grim twist, it was revealed that the bus involved in the tragedy had only been purchased five days earlier. Fire officials are investigating how a new vehicle could suffer such a catastrophic electrical failure. Rescue personnel reported that many passengers had no time to escape once the fire broke out. Local villagers and passersby rushed to the spot with buckets of water and attempted to break windows to save people before emergency services arrived.
One of the deceased was Rajendra Singh Chauhan, a well-known journalist who was on his way to Pokhran for a medical store inauguration. His friend and travel companion, Manoj Bhatia of the Jaisalmer Chemist Association, survived with injuries but reported that Chauhan was unable to escape the flames.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, calling the deaths “heartbreaking” and offering prayers for the victims and their families.
The district administration has cordoned off the site, and a full investigation is underway. Authorities are examining whether any safety norms were violated and whether the bus passed mandatory inspections. The accident has cast a dark shadow over Rajasthan’s festive season and raised urgent questions about passenger safety and the readiness of public transport operators.