25 killed, 8 injured as bus catches fire in India

• Police launch inquiry into tragic bus fire.
• Indian PM expresses grief over tragedy.
• 3 children among those killed in incident.

At least 25 people were killed while eight were injured after a bus caught fire overnight on an expressway in western India on Saturday, police said.

The bus was travelling to the city of Pune when it hit a pole and overturned after midnight, causing its diesel tank to catch fire, senior police officer Baburao Mahamuni said.

"There were about 30–35 people on the bus. 25 people have died and eight others are injured," he added.

The injured, including the bus driver, have been admitted to a hospital near the site of the crash in Maharashtra state, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of India's financial capital, Mumbai.

The police said they had launched an inquiry into the crash.

"The priority at this moment is to identify the bodies and hand them over to their family members," local media quoted police superintendent Sunil Kadasane.

Images from the site of the incident showed the bus engulfed in flames, and, later, the charred remains of the overturned vehicle on the highway.

Three children were among the dead, a police officer told reporters.

"Deeply saddened by the devastating bus mishap in Buldhana," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. 

"My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon," he tweeted.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he felt "deep grief" over the accident and pledged compensation of INR500,000 ($6,100) to the families of those killed.

NDTV quoted him as saying that the bodies were charred "beyond recognition" and that DNA testing could be employed to identify the victims.

He also said a smart system was being installed on the Samruddhi Expressway to prevent accidents. 

"The system will check the speed of vehicles and alert them. But it will take some time. 

"Till then, we will have to create awareness among drivers at the toll booths on what precautions need to be taken to prevent accidents at night," NDTV quoted him.

Shinde and Modi posted separate tweets expressing sorrow and saying they would pay support to each victim’s family, amounting to INR700,000 ($8,500).

Accidents are common on India's vast network of roads, which are poorly maintained and notoriously dangerous.

The main causes of accidents include excessive speed, not wearing helmets (sales of two-wheelers far outstrip those of cars), and not using seatbelts.

India accounts for 11% of the global road death toll despite having just 1% of the world's vehicles, according to a World Bank report released in 2021.

The same report estimated 150,000 car crash fatalities in India annually, or one person every four minutes.

It added that road crashes cost the Indian economy around $75 billion annually, with medical expenses and loss of income driving many accident survivors into poverty.

In May, at least 21 people died when a bus veered off a bridge in India, reportedly after the driver fell asleep at the wheel.

Additionally, at least 31 people were killed last October after a bus carrying wedding guests veered off the road and fell into a deep gorge in northern India.