Moving bus catches fire in Haryana, 9 die

A bus with 60 pilgrims while returning to Punjab after visiting Mathura-Vrindavan caught fire on the KMP Expressway last week, charring or suffocating nine of them to death. Most of the passengers were asleep when the air-conditioned carriage caught fire and the driver, who was alerted by another commuter, stopped the bus and fled instead of helping move the passengers out to safety. So far, eight of the nine victims have been identified. The youngest to die in the tragedy is a 10-year-old girl and the oldest a 73-year-old woman. At least 19 of the injured, several elderly among them, are being treated at various hospitals. Survivors said the fire started in the rear of the bus. Passengers became aware when flames leapt towards the roof and began to spread to the front, triggering a rush to the exit. Locals and fellow commuters rushed to their aid, helping pull coughing and giddy passengers out of the burning bus.