Questions over safety arrangements on a sleeper bus have come into focus after nine passengers, including a woman, were killed when the vehicle caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida on Thursday.
Several alleged lapses, including the absence of an emergency exit and the presence of flammable object like, paint thinner in the luggage bay intensified the damage caused, according to the FIR and details emerging from the investigation. The FIR also alleges that passengers noticed a burning smell and objected to the driver and conductor smoking inside the bus, but their concerns were allegedly ignored.
The bus, bearing registration number BR 32 PA 8647, was travelling from Kashmiri Gate in New Delhi to Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh when it caught fire near the 33-kilometre milestone on the Yamuna Expressway, within the jurisdiction of the Jewar Police Station.
More than 30 passengers were reportedly travelling on the bus. As the fire spread, thick smoke filled the vehicle and passengers struggled to find a way out, according to survivors account. Several managed to escape, while nine were trapped inside and died from burns and suffocation.
