The death toll in the Jaisalmer bus fire rose to 21 on Wednesday as an eight-year-old boy, who was fighting for his life at Jodhpur’s MG Hospital, succumbed to his injuries this evening. Let us tell you that four injured are still on ventilator.
According to the information, DNA samples have been collected from the family members of the deceased persons for identification of the bodies. Currently 14 people are undergoing treatment in Jodhpur hospital.
A private AC sleeper bus going from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire barely 10 minutes after departure on Tuesday, killing 19 passengers and injuring 16. Of the total injured, one succumbed to severe burns on the way to the hospital the same night.
A doctor of the hospital said that the bodies will be handed over to the relatives after identification.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party national convenor and Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal questioned why people seriously injured in the bus fire near Jaisalmer were not taken for treatment despite military helicopters being available.
In a post on X, Beniwal compared this inaction to the prompt use of a helicopter to airlift BJP state president Madan Rathore’s ailing wife from Pali to Jaipur a day earlier.
Beniwal said, “I want to ask Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma that when BJP state president Madan Rathod’s wife fell ill, you arranged for a helicopter to bring her from Pali to Jaipur, but when many citizens suffered serious burns in the horrific bus fire near Jaisalmer, why were they not taken to Jodhpur?”
“Military helicopters/aircraft were available in Jaisalmer. You could have coordinated with central authorities and defense officials to ensure that the victims were taken to Jodhpur or Jaipur for timely treatment,” he said.
It is noteworthy that Chief Minister Sharma reached Jaisalmer by air last night and visited the accident site and talked to the officials and gave them necessary directions. He later visited Jodhpur and met the victim’s family members.
Earlier in the day, Jaisalmer Additional Superintendent of Police Kailash Dan said jamming of bus doors was the main reason for the large number of casualties. He said that due to the fire, the door of the bus was closed, due to which the passengers could not get out.
“Most of the bodies were found in the corridor of the bus, which suggests that people tried to escape but could not because the door was stuck,” he told PTI.
The bus caught fire near the Army War Memorial. Army soldiers immediately reached the spot and started rescue operations. The bus door was broken open, while some passengers managed to escape by breaking the windows. To control the fire, water was also poured from a passing tanker.
Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police Abhishek Shivhare said that 19 burnt bodies have been recovered from the bus and 16 seriously injured have been taken to Jodhpur hospital. Last night a passenger died while being taken to Jodhpur.
“The bodies have been sent to Jodhpur for DNA sampling and identification. They will be handed over to the families after the forensic science laboratory confirms the match,” he said.
Police officials said that the number of people in the bus at the time of the incident is being confirmed.
Additional SP said that forensic teams have been inspecting the spot since last night. “Initial indications point towards a short circuit, although other possibilities like the presence of firecrackers in the bus are also being investigated,” he said.
It is being told that the passengers had very little time to recover. It was a newly registered vehicle, on its fourth journey. The bus had left Jaisalmer at around 3 pm and was about to pick up more passengers on the way.
A policeman quoted eyewitnesses as saying that a loud bang was heard from the rear of the bus, which was probably caused by the AC compressor. The fire was fueled by diesel, AC gas and fibre-based interiors.
Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said, “There was only one door on the bus, which was jammed. Most of the passengers could not get out. The army recovered as many bodies as it could, but some bodies were so burnt that they could not be identified.”
Preliminary investigation shows that the bus had no emergency exit, no window-doors and a narrow corridor in which passengers got trapped. As the wires caught fire, the automatic door-lock system activated, blocking the exit.
Several bodies were found stacked on top of each other inside the bus. An FIR was registered against the bus owner and driver in Jaisalmer today.
Meanwhile, private buses were thoroughly checked by RTO officials in Jaipur in the wake of the Jaisalmer incident. An official said that RTO squads checked the documents of the buses and action was taken against violation of rules.