Ten feared dead as sleeper bus catches fire near Jaisalmer

At least ten persons were feared dead and sixteen others sustained burn injuries when an air-conditioned sleeper bus travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire near Thaiyat village on Tuesday afternoon. Several of the injured, including women and children, are reported to be in critical condition.

Those injured were taken to the Jawahar Government Hospital in Jaisalmer and later referred to Jodhpur. Most of them are said to have sustained burns of up to 70%. The flames reportedly erupted from the rear section of the bus as it was crossing the war museum, about 20 km from Jaisalmer.

There were 57 passengers on board the overloaded private bus. The bodies of the deceased remained inside the vehicle till late evening, as rescue efforts were delayed due to intense heat. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.