7 killed, 22 injured after sleeper bus crashes, burst into flames on Delhi-Mumbai expressway

Seven people have been killed and 22 injured after a sleeper bus rammed into a trailer, following which it burst into flames late at night on Wednesday.

The accident happened on the Delhi-Mumbai expressway near Rajasthan's Dausa. The bus was reportedly travelling from Rishikesh to Madhya Pradesh's Indore at high speed when it collided with a trailer.

Videos from the scene showed the vehicles engulfed in flames as passengers screamed for help. Officials said the impact threw passengers from the upper berths onto the ground. Five people died from burn injuries, while two others succumbed to head injuries, according to authorities.

What caused the accident?

While investigations are still going on, police suspect that the driver might have dozed off, ultimately causing the accident. Eyewitnesses say that most of the victims were sleeping when the crash happened.

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Local residents alleged that rescue teams and fire brigade personnel arrived late at the scene, delaying rescue efforts and contributing to the death toll. They claimed that passengers trapped inside the bus were not rescued until nearly an hour after the fire broke out.

Residents also alleged that the bus's storage compartment was loaded with cigarette packets, which they believe fuelled the rapid spread of the flames.