Rajasthan:11 dead, several injured in passenger bus-truck accident in Barmer

Barmer, Nov 10: Eleven people died and 22 people were injured in a collision between a passenger bus and a truck near Pachpadra in Rajasthan's Barmer district on Wednesday, say police.

The incident took place on Barmer-Jodhpur Highway when the private bus collided with a truck. Both vehicles caught fire after the collision and fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames.

"Ten bodies have been recovered from the spot and one died at a hospital. Twenty-two others are injured. Eight critically injured persons have been referred to Jodhpur for treatment, " PTI quoted Barmer superintendent of police Deepak Bhargav as saying.

The bus, which was reportedly carrying about 25 people, caught fire immediately after colliding with the truck which was reportedly coming from the wrong direction.

The local administration, MLA Madan Prajapat and state environment and forest minister Sukhram Bishnoi have visited the accident site.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sadness over the incident. He posted, "It is saddening that people have lost their lives due to a bus-tanker collision at the Barmer-Jodhpur Highway in Rajasthan. In this hour of grief, my condolences to the bereaved families. I pray that the injured have a quick recovery,"

He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the accident at the Barmer-Jodhpur Highway in Rajasthan while the injured would be given Rs 50,000 each.