Fiery bus crash kills at least 27 in Bihar

At least 27 people were burnt to death in Bihar when a passenger bus went up in flames after flipping over as the driver tried to avoid hitting a biker. Bodies of most of the victims were burnt beyond recognition, authorities said.

The incident took place in east Champaran district, some 160km east of Patna, yesterday.

As per reports, the passenger bus carrying around 32 passengers overturned shortly after it had left for Delhi from the Muzaffarpur bus stop.

Authorities said the bus was moving at full speed when, in a bid to save a biker who came in its path, the driver lost control. The bus fell into a roadside ditch and went up in flames, killing 27.

“As per my information, 27 passengers have been killed in the incident so far,” Bihar disaster management department minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav told mediapersons today.

Relief efforts

He announced a compensation of Rs400,000 to each victim’s family.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the incident while expressing deepest condolences for the victim families. “I am very saddened by the news,” Kumar told the media and promised to provide all medical relief to the victims.

Bihar disaster management secretary Pratyay Amrit said relief teams had rushed to the spot and efforts are on to extricate the bodies.

“Most of bodies are burnt beyond recognition and our first priority is to extricate the bodies,” Amrit said, adding the casualty figures might go up.