Highlights
- The incident was reported early on Saturday
- Nashik police said the bodies of the deceased were being identified
- Reports said the bus first hit a container and then caught fire, resulting in casualties
Nashik: As many as 12 people were killed, while 24 others sustained burn injuries after a bus hit a truck and caught fire in Maharashtra’s Nashik city. According to the details, the incident was reported at nearly 5 am on Saturday.
Officials said the bus caught fire on Aurangabad road in the city.
The private bus, a 'sleeper' coach, was carrying more than 30 passengers at the time of the incident.
It hit the truck at Nandur Naka and caught fire in a few minutes, an official said.
The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, the official said.
Most of those killed and injured were bus passengers, he said.
The truck was going from Dhule to Mumbai, he added.
The exact number of casualties in the incident was yet not confirmed, police said, adding a confirmation from doctors was awaited.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakhs each to the next of kin of those who died in this incident.
Guardian Minister of Nashik, Dada Bhuse said he was going to the spot to assess the situation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs from PMNRF to the next of kin of each of the deceased due to the bus fire in Nashik.
The injured would be given Rs 50,000, a statement by the prime minister's office read.
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