tourist bus fire near Nuh
10-year-old girl killed in bus fire.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : At Nalhar medical college on Saturday, a heartbreaking scene unfolded as 10-year-old Jovita’s mother, Mona, frantically screamed her daughter’s name while sitting on the pavement of the post-mortem house. Nearby, Ritika Kakkar (38) anxiously awaited the arrival of her mother, Usha Sharma’s body.
Tragically, Jovita and Usha were among the nine individuals who lost their lives in a devastating incident on the KMP expressway near Dhulawat village in Tauru. The AC tourist bus they were traveling on, heading from Mathura-Vrindavan towards Chandigarh, suddenly caught fire around 2.30 am on Saturday. The authorities have identified the other victims as Shashi Sharma, Sunita Bhasin, Amar Devi, Darshan Lal, Gautam Sharma, Ashok Kumar Bhatia, and one unidentified person. Additionally, 20 others sustained injuries in the incident.
The ill-fated bus was carrying a total of 60 passengers, including 35 women, 21 men, and four children, along with the driver and conductor. The group had embarked on a pilgrimage from Punjab on May 10 to visit various temples in Uttar Pradesh, including Vrindavan, Mathura, and Ayodhya. This journey was part of their annual tradition that had been ongoing for three decades.
Following the fire outbreak, four fire engines were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the flames and assist the survivors. A passenger named Rakesh Kumar from Jalandhar lodged a complaint with the police, leading to the registration of an FIR.
In his statement, Kumar alleged that the driver’s negligence and carelessness were responsible for the tragic incident. He recounted how the passengers pleaded with the driver to pull over once they noticed the smoke, but their pleas went unheeded until it was too late. Many passengers had to jump out of the bus, with the help of passersby, to escape the engulfing flames.
According to information from the Parivahan website, the bus had been registered in December 2023, and all necessary permits, insurance, and certificates were up to date at the time of the incident.
Ritika Kakkar, who resides in Uttarakhand with her husband, shared her harrowing experience of losing her mother in the fire. She described how her father managed to escape but her mother was trapped inside the bus as it was quickly consumed by flames. Ritika’s father, Manmohan, added that the bus’s tight shut doors forced some passengers to break windows in a desperate bid to flee the inferno.
Another passenger, Rohit Sharma from Hoshiarpur, recounted the heartbreaking moment when his cousin Gautam attempted to save his mother, Shashi, but tragically both perished in the fire.
As the community grapples with this devastating loss, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini expressed his condolences and assured the best possible care for the injured. Former CM Manohar Lal Khattar and President Droupadi Murmu also extended their sympathies to the affected families. Raj Babbar, the Congress candidate for Gurgaon in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, visited the victims’ families at the hospital to offer his support.
Nuh Deputy Commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata confirmed that a forensic team from Madhuban is en route to Nuh to determine the cause of the fire. Meanwhile, the police are actively investigating to locate and apprehend the absconding bus driver.
This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of ensuring the safety and well-being of all passengers during their travels. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims during this difficult time..
tourist bus catches fire
10-year-old girl.
