Bus fire on Jaisalmer-Jodhpur route leaves casualties, probes ongoing

A passenger bus traveling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire on Tuesday afternoon on the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur Highway near Thaiyat village, leaving a number of people injured and prompting conflicting reports about deaths, officials said. The vehicle left Jaisalmer at about 3 pm, smoke was seen coming from its rear, and the driver stopped the bus on the roadside before flames rapidly engulfed the coach, authorities and local officials said.

Accounts differ on the scale of casualties. Police and local officials in one set of reports said the bus was carrying 57 passengers and that about 10 people were injured and taken to Jawahar Hospital in Jaisalmer for treatment. Other officials, including local lawmaker Mahant Pratap Puri, and subsequent reports said between 35 and 50 people were aboard and that the blaze killed at least 19 people on the scene, with a 20th person later dying en route to hospital and at least 15 critically injured. Local authorities have opened a helpline and appealed for relatives to come forward to help identify victims.

Witnesses and passersby rushed to the scene and assisted with rescue efforts until fire tenders, police and nearby military personnel...