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A jammed doorway successful the AC sleeper autobus that caught occurrence adjacent Jaisalmer was the main crushed for the precocious fig of casualties, constabulary said connected Wednesday (October 15, 2025).
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma reviewed the rescue and aesculapian effect and called the incidental “deeply tragic”.
Twenty passengers were burnt alive, and 15 others sustained captious pain injuries aft the backstage autobus travelling to Jodhpur connected Tuesday (October 14, 2025) day caught fire, hardly 10 minutes aft it near Jaisalmer.
Kailash Dan, Additional SP, Jaisalmer, said the occurrence caused the autobus doorway to get locked, preventing passengers from escaping.
“Most of the bodies were recovered successful the aisle of the bus, which shows that radical tried to flight but couldn’t due to the fact that the doorway was stuck,” helium told PTI.
The autobus caught occurrence adjacent the Army War Memorial. The Army unit reached the tract rapidly and joined the rescue operations. The doorway had to beryllium pried open, portion a fewer passengers managed to flight by breaking windows. Water from a passing tanker was besides utilized to power the blaze.
Jaisalmer SP Abhishek Shivhare said that 19 charred bodies were recovered from the autobus and 16 critically injured were rushed to infirmary successful Jodhpur.
One rider died connected the mode to Jodhpur.
“The bodies were sent to Jodhpur for DNA sampling and identification. They volition beryllium handed implicit to families aft matching is confirmed by the Forensic Science Laboratory,” helium said.
Police officials said that the fig of radical wrong the autobus astatine the clip of the incidental is being verified.
“Twenty radical person died, and 15 are undergoing treatment. No missing idiosyncratic has been reported yet. We are verifying the fig of the persons. CCTV footage from the bus’ departing constituent and the way has been collected and is being examined,” the Additional SP said.
He said that the forensics teams person been inspecting the tract since past night.
“Initial indications suggest a abbreviated circuit, though different possibilities similar firecrackers successful the autobus are besides being probed,” helium said.
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, arsenic soon arsenic helium received accusation astir the incidental connected Tuesday (October 14, 2025) evening, ended a scheduled gathering successful Jaipur midway and started coordinating with officials contiguous connected the ground.
At the gathering attended by Ministers Kirori Lal Meena, Gautam Dak, and elder officials, Sharma informed everyone that owed to the seriousness of the situation, helium would beryllium heading to Jaisalmer.
“The Chief Minister directed authorities to found a greenish corridor to facilitate the creaseless transportation of the injured from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur for precocious treatment,” an authoritative said.
Mr. Sharma reached Jaisalmer astatine nighttime and visited the site. He acknowledged and appreciated the efforts of the Indian Army and section civilians successful rescue and alleviation operations, the authoritative said.
The Chief Minister past proceeded to Jodhpur and met with families of the victims. He instructed doctors to supply the champion imaginable aesculapian attraction to the injured and reviewed the availability of captious attraction infrastructure successful the pain unit, including ventilators, oxygen support, ICU beds, and indispensable medicines.
A dedicated aesculapian monitoring squad has been deployed to guarantee round-the-clock attraction successful Jodhpur. Mr. Sharma besides directed that the families of the injured beryllium provided with due accommodation, meals, and each indispensable enactment wrong the infirmary premises.
He spoke with section legislators, enactment workers, and administrative officials successful Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, appealing to them to assistance successful alleviation efforts. He besides instructed Cabinet Minister Madan Dilawar to stay successful Jodhpur to oversee the situation.
Rescue officials described the autobus arsenic a “fireball” that gave passengers small clip to react. It was a recently registered vehicle, which was lone connected its 4th journey. The autobus had departed Jaisalmer astir 3 p.m. and was scheduled to prime up much passengers on the route.
A policeman, citing eyewitness accounts, said that a large blast was heard from the rear of the bus, believed to beryllium from the AC compressor. The resulting blaze was intensified by diesel, AC gas, and fibre-based interiors.
“There was lone 1 doorway connected the bus, which got jammed. Most passengers could not escape. The Army recovered what bodies they could, but immoderate were burnt to ashes beyond recognition,” Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said.
Primary probe reveals that the autobus had nary exigency exit, nary model hammers and had a constrictive aisle that trapped passengers. Once the wiring caught fire, the automatic door-lock strategy activated, sealing disconnected escape.
Several bodies were recovered piled connected apical of 1 different wrong the bus.
The injured see 2 children and 4 women. Some person up to 70% pain injuries. All were archetypal taken to a authorities infirmary successful Jaisalmer earlier being referred to Jodhpur.
Jaisalmer District Collector Pratap Singh Nathawat said the rescue cognition was launched immediately. “All 19 recovered bodies person been sent to Jodhpur for DNA-based identification,” helium said.
