INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Police suspect that "human error" led to the tragic bus accident on the Samruddhi Expressway in Buldhana district,
an official said.In the accident that occurred in the early hours of Saturday, 25 passengers were charred to death.02:2425 passengers burnt
to death after bus catches fire on Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway | Samruddhi Mahamarg accidentContrary to the driver's statement that the private
sleeper coach caught fire after hitting a divider due to a tire burst, the police believe that the driver fell asleep and lost control of
the vehicle.The state highway police officer said that of the 33 people on board the bus, eight, including the driver and cleaner, survived
by escaping through a broken window.The accident took place at 1.30am near Sindkhedraja in the Pimpalkhuta village
After the halt for dinner at Karanja in Yavatmal district, the bus travelled around 150km up to Sindkhedraja on the Mumbai-Nagpur high-speed
carriageway in about two and a half hours
This indicates the average speed of the bus was 60-70 kilometres per hour, he said."The speed of the vehicle may not be the issue," he said,
adding that prima facie it seems the result of a human error
"As the driver might have nodded off, the bus went to the right side and first hit the crash barrier and then the divider," he said
Though the bus driver said it was due to a tyre burst, a probe is going on to ascertain whether it was due to a human error as it was dark,
The bus caught fire after its diesel tank burst following the accident, he said
Meanwhile, a report by the Amravati Regional Transport Office said that a tyre burst could not have caused the accident on Samruddhi
Expressway as there were no pieces of rubber or tyre markings at the scene
The RTO report, based on survivors' accounts, said there was no evidence (rubber pieces of tyres after burst) or tyre markings at the spot,
and the impact marking was on the wheel disc, which was bent, and not on the tyre itself.(With inputs from PTI)WatchSamruddhi Mahamarg
