at least 20 people feared dead after bus fire traps passengers in india

The sleeper bus had 57 people on board when it caught fire,trapping several passengers in the fatal danger

Dozens of people are feared to have died after a sleeper bus caught fire on a motorway in India.

Passengers had to jump out of a moving bus after it was engulfed in flames on the Jaisalmer highway in the Rajasthan region,a state in northwestern India.

The private coach was carrying 57 passengers when the incident unfolded on Tuesday between the cities of Jaisalmer and Jodhpur.

At least 20 people are thought to have died after being trapped inside the burning vehicle.

Dozens of people burned alive when the bus suddenly caught fire in northwestern India

Several other passengers suffered serious burns,with 15 people including four women and two children being taken to hospital.

Some suffered up to 70% burns,according to NDTV.

The driver pulled over on the side of the road,but the flames took over the vehicle within seconds.

The charred remains of the bus on the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur Highway after the mass fatality

The police have suggested the fire may have started due to a short circuit.

India’s Prime Minister,Narendra Modi,said that the families of the deceased and those injured would be given compensation.

He said: ‘Distressed by the loss of lives due to a mishap in Jaisalmer,Rajasthan. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families during this difficult time. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.’

Eyewitnesses rushed to help passengers,but many were unable to escape the flames

Jaisalmer district collector Pratap Singh said: ‘An air-conditioned sleeper bus from a private company was travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur when this incident happened… The district administration has opened a helpline,and I request family members of the passengers to come forward and help identify the dead persons.’

The country’s chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma said in an X post: ‘The incident of a bus catching fire in Jaisalmer is extremely heart-wrenching. I express deep condolences to the people affected by this tragic accident.

‘Instructions have been given to the concerned authorities to ensure proper treatment for the injured and to provide all possible assistance to those affected.’