7 dead, 22 injured as Haridwar-Indore bus catches fire after gorge fall on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
The bus, carrying around 37 passengers, was travelling from Haridwar to Indore when the accident occurred at about 2.30 am near a rest area under the Kolwa police station limits
- Jul 1, 2026,
- Updated Jul 1, 2026 7:36 AM IST
Seven people were killed and at least 22 others injured after a private passenger bus caught fire on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Dausa district in the early hours of Wednesday.
The bus, carrying around 37 passengers, was travelling from Haridwar to Indore when the accident occurred at about 2.30 am near a rest area under the Kolwa police station limits.
Preliminary accounts indicated that the bus collided with a trailer, went out of control and fell into a roadside gorge before a fire broke out in its rear portion. Authorities, however, have not officially confirmed the exact cause of the accident or the blaze.
Most of the passengers were reportedly asleep when the crash occurred.
Passengers thrown from sleeping berths
Eyewitnesses said the impact was severe enough to throw passengers sleeping on the upper berths onto the floor of the bus, leaving several of them seriously injured.
Women and children were among those hurt. Some passengers managed to get out of the vehicle on their own before the flames spread further, while others were rescued by emergency teams and local residents.
The fire in the rear section of the bus added to the panic among passengers who were still trying to escape from the damaged vehicle.
Police and fire teams launch rescue operation
Police, fire services, ambulance crews and other emergency response teams reached the spot soon after receiving information about the accident.
With help from people living nearby, rescue personnel pulled the injured passengers out of the bus and shifted them to nearby hospitals.
The injured were taken to Dausa district hospital, while passengers in critical condition were referred to higher medical facilities for advanced treatment.
Six bodies were initially shifted to the district hospital as rescue and recovery operations continued.
Dausa Superintendent of Police Piyush Dixit was present at the accident site and supervised the rescue operation.
Officials review treatment arrangements
Several district and police officials later visited the hospital to review the treatment arrangements for the injured passengers.
Additional Superintendent of Police Yogendra Faujdar, Deputy Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Kumar, Kotwali SHO Bhagwan Sahay Sharma, Sub-Divisional Officer Sanju Meena and Tehsildar Gajanan Meena assessed the situation at the hospital.
Officials directed the medical staff to ensure that those injured in the accident received proper treatment.
Cause of accident under investigation
Police have launched an investigation to establish the sequence of events leading to the crash and the subsequent fire.
Preliminary findings suggested that the bus lost control after the reported collision with the trailer. Both vehicles were seized as part of the investigation.
Authorities are also examining whether a mechanical or electrical fault contributed to the fire. No official conclusion had been announced by the time of publication.
Traffic movement on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway was temporarily affected following the accident as rescue teams cleared the site and carried out recovery operations.
Further details are awaited.
(With inputs from agencies)
Seven people were killed and at least 22 others injured after a private passenger bus caught fire on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Dausa district in the early hours of Wednesday.
The bus, carrying around 37 passengers, was travelling from Haridwar to Indore when the accident occurred at about 2.30 am near a rest area under the Kolwa police station limits.
Preliminary accounts indicated that the bus collided with a trailer, went out of control and fell into a roadside gorge before a fire broke out in its rear portion. Authorities, however, have not officially confirmed the exact cause of the accident or the blaze.
Most of the passengers were reportedly asleep when the crash occurred.
Passengers thrown from sleeping berths
Eyewitnesses said the impact was severe enough to throw passengers sleeping on the upper berths onto the floor of the bus, leaving several of them seriously injured.
Women and children were among those hurt. Some passengers managed to get out of the vehicle on their own before the flames spread further, while others were rescued by emergency teams and local residents.
The fire in the rear section of the bus added to the panic among passengers who were still trying to escape from the damaged vehicle.
Police and fire teams launch rescue operation
Police, fire services, ambulance crews and other emergency response teams reached the spot soon after receiving information about the accident.
With help from people living nearby, rescue personnel pulled the injured passengers out of the bus and shifted them to nearby hospitals.
The injured were taken to Dausa district hospital, while passengers in critical condition were referred to higher medical facilities for advanced treatment.
Six bodies were initially shifted to the district hospital as rescue and recovery operations continued.
Dausa Superintendent of Police Piyush Dixit was present at the accident site and supervised the rescue operation.
Officials review treatment arrangements
Several district and police officials later visited the hospital to review the treatment arrangements for the injured passengers.
Additional Superintendent of Police Yogendra Faujdar, Deputy Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Kumar, Kotwali SHO Bhagwan Sahay Sharma, Sub-Divisional Officer Sanju Meena and Tehsildar Gajanan Meena assessed the situation at the hospital.
Officials directed the medical staff to ensure that those injured in the accident received proper treatment.
Cause of accident under investigation
Police have launched an investigation to establish the sequence of events leading to the crash and the subsequent fire.
Preliminary findings suggested that the bus lost control after the reported collision with the trailer. Both vehicles were seized as part of the investigation.
Authorities are also examining whether a mechanical or electrical fault contributed to the fire. No official conclusion had been announced by the time of publication.
Traffic movement on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway was temporarily affected following the accident as rescue teams cleared the site and carried out recovery operations.
Further details are awaited.
(With inputs from agencies)