HIBAPRESS
At least 20 people were killed on Tuesday due to a massive fire that broke out on a bus carrying more than 50 passengers in the western Indian state of Rajasthan.
The Agence France-Presse reported that the bus was on its way between the cities of Jaisalmer and Jodhpur before it suddenly caught fire. Rajesh Meena, a senior police official, explained that "19 people died inside the bus, while another died of his burns while being transferred to the hospital." According to the Press Trust of India, the fire broke out after the driver noticed smoke rising from the rear of the vehicle, so he stopped on the side of the road, but the fire quickly consumed the entire bus. For his part, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his "deep shock" at the tragic accident, announcing compensation for the families of the victims of 200,000 rupees (about $2,200) for each victim. It is worth mentioning that India records one of the highest rates of road accidents in the world, as more than 480,000 accidents were recorded during 2023, leaving about 173,000 dead and 463,000 injured.
