In the blink of an eye, lives changed forever for the passengers of the Pune-bound Vidharbha Travels sleeper coach bus which caught fire in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district and claimed 25 lives, including those of three children, on Saturday.
Those who managed to break the glass windows with their hands in the scorching temperatures and disorienting conditions were the only ones who could escape from the burning vehicle, and there was no way to help family members or co-passengers, survivors said.
“Everything happened in a fraction. The driver lost control, it overturned and caught fire before we could realise what was happening. Everyone was screaming their lungs out for help, but the ongoing vehicles didn’t care to stop and rescue us. Some of us managed to escape by breaking the glass windows,” a survivor recounted.
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Had the vehicles passing by stopped for help, more lives could have been saved, he said.
A private sleeper coach bus operated by Vidharbha Travels with 33 passengers onboard was on its way to Pune from Nagpur, when it met with an accident and caught fire at Pimpalkuta village near Sindkhed Raja in the early hours of Saturday.
“It’s a sleeper AC bus and everyone was in deep slumber after having dinner near Karanja in Yavatmal district. There was no room to escape as the bus overturned and fell on the door buried. We were trapped inside, and there was no chance to help others escape,” a panic-stricken passenger explained after his miraculous escape.
Eight persons managed to escape the blazing inferno, but the incident has left an indelible mark on their lives.
Another survivor, Ayush Ghatge, said that he was sleeping on the last seat when the accident took place, and he woke up to shock as a few people fell on him. “I immediately stood up and started looking for a window to get out. I started breaking a window and three of us came out with each other’s help,” he said.
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Eyewitnesses said that the agonised cries of the trapped passengers and dense smoke filled the air, creating a harrowing symphony of desperation.
“Tragically, the passengers were trapped inside. We have seen them burning alive, trying to break the windows to escape, but were not in a position to offer any help as the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Either the diesel tank or the supply pipe from the tank to the engine had burst, resulting in the bus catching fire,” advocate Sandeep, who rushed to the spot to help the victims, said.
He said that accidents took place on the highway at Pimpalkhuta frequently and his group was always called for help. “When we went there, we saw the horrible situation...The tyres had fallen apart,” Mr. Sandeep said.
Meanwhile, relatives of Avani Pohnekar, one of the victims told a vernacular news channel that she was a techie on her way to Pune to explore job opportunities. She hailed from Wardha. Another passenger, Nikhil Pathe, from Gondhdi village of Yavatmal, was also on his way to Pune, the IT capital of Maharashtra, to find a job.
