By PTI
AMRAVATI: A tyre burst could not have caused Saturday’s bus accident on Samruddhi Expressway, in which 25 persons were charred to death, as there were no pieces of rubber or tyre markings at the scene, the Amravati Regional Transport Office (RTO) stated in its report.
The RTO report, which was based on survivors’ accounts, said there was no evidence (rubber pieces of tyres after the burst) or tyre markings at the spot, and the impact marking was on the wheel disc, which was bent, and not on the tyre itself.
A bus carrying 33 passengers from Nagpur to Pune on the Samruddhi Expressway overturned and caught fire in Sindkhedraja in Buldhana at 1.32 am, killing 25 occupants.
As per the details provided by one of the survivors, the bus dashed into a steel pole on the right side of the road, leading to the driver losing control of the vehicle, which then hit the divider, the report said.
It further said the impact of the front tyre hitting the divider was so severe that it caused the front axle assembly to dislocate from the bus chassis.
The right side of the vehicle, where the diesel tank is located, again hit the divider, the impact cleaving the bus body, the report said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visit the site where a bus met with an accident and caught fire killing at least 25 passengers and injuring many others, in Buldhana district, Saturday, July 1, 2023 | PTI
After the front axle assembly got dislocated, the front portion of the bus hit the road and the resultant friction generated heat and fire (as engine oil temperature was also high since the bus was in on mode), the report said.
The vehicle then overturned on its left side after getting dragged due to the absence of the front axle, which caused more heat resulting in a blaze, it added. The bus turning turtle on its left side blocked the passenger entrance exit and the loss of alignment of the vehicle due to the impact of the accident also made the emergency door inoperative, it said.
ALSO READ | Survivor of Maharashtra bus accident recalls horror; says escaped by breaking window of burning vehicle
The report, however, noted that speed may not have been a cause of the accident since the bus took two hours and 24 minutes to cover the 152-kilometre stretch from the entry point of the Samruddhi Expressway to the spot in Sindkhedraja where the accident took place.
The bus entered the Expressway at 11:08 pm and the accident took place 152 kilometres away at 1:32 am, which means the average speed of the bus was 70 kilometres per hour, the report said.
ALSO READ | 25 passengers, including three children charred to death as bus catches fire on Maharashtra Expressway
The bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune and had started its journey from Vidarbha’s largest city at 5 pm on Friday.
It was on the Nagpur-Wardha-Yavatmal-Darwha-Karanja(Lad)-Samruddhi Expressway-Pune route, the report said.
Maha CM assures steps to prevent accidents on Samruddhi Expressway
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said his government has taken the Buldhana bus tragedy, in which 25 persons were charred to death, seriously, and assured that measures would be taken to prevent accidents on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway.
Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Pimpalkhuta village in Buldhana district, where the accident occurred in the wee hours of Saturday. They interacted with the police personnel, district administration officials and local residents who apprised them of the sequence of the tragedy.
#बुलढाणा येथे झालेल्या भीषण बस अपघातानंतर आज समृद्धी महामार्गावरील घटनास्थळाला प्रत्यक्ष भेट देऊन परिस्थितीची पाहणी केली. यावेळी उपमुख्यमंत्री @Dev_Fadnavis हेदेखील सोबत होते.समृद्धी महामार्गावर बुलढाणा येथे खाजगी ट्रॅव्हल्स कंपनीच्या बसला झालेल्या भीषण अपघातात २५ जणांचा… pic.twitter.com/3oAmPh3nev
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) July 1, 2023
Speaking to reporters at the site, Shinde said drivers of all vehicles need to follow rules related to speed limit.
“So far, most of the accidents on the Samruddhi Expressway have occurred due to human errors. But the government has taken this accident seriously and steps will be taken to ensure that accidents and errors don’t happen,” he said.
Experts would be consulted before putting in place measures to prevent accidents, the CM added.
“The death of 25 persons in today’s accident is unfortunate. They could not be saved as the door of the bus was locked. Eight people could come out,” Shinde said.
Quick response vehicles, fire brigade, and police stationed on the expressway reached the spot on time, he said.
यापुढे समृद्धी महामार्गावर असे अपघात घडू नयेत यासाठी होणाऱ्या अपघातांचा तज्ञांकडून सखोल अभ्यास करून भविष्यात असे अपघात होऊ नयेत यासाठी ठोस उपाययोजना करण्यात येईल असे सांगितले. https://t.co/7fzLFKdZG1 pic.twitter.com/0uqSSTO0Nr
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) July 1, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 520-km-long Phase-1 of the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg in December last year. Officially named ‘Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’, it is a pet project of Fadnavis.
Ahead of its inauguration, CM Shinde had described the Samruddhi Expressway as a game-changer project with the potential to transform the state.
AMRAVATI: A tyre burst could not have caused Saturday’s bus accident on Samruddhi Expressway, in which 25 persons were charred to death, as there were no pieces of rubber or tyre markings at the scene, the Amravati Regional Transport Office (RTO) stated in its report.
The RTO report, which was based on survivors’ accounts, said there was no evidence (rubber pieces of tyres after the burst) or tyre markings at the spot, and the impact marking was on the wheel disc, which was bent, and not on the tyre itself.
A bus carrying 33 passengers from Nagpur to Pune on the Samruddhi Expressway overturned and caught fire in Sindkhedraja in Buldhana at 1.32 am, killing 25 occupants.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
As per the details provided by one of the survivors, the bus dashed into a steel pole on the right side of the road, leading to the driver losing control of the vehicle, which then hit the divider, the report said.
It further said the impact of the front tyre hitting the divider was so severe that it caused the front axle assembly to dislocate from the bus chassis.
The right side of the vehicle, where the diesel tank is located, again hit the divider, the impact cleaving the bus body, the report said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visit the site where a bus met with an accident and caught fire killing at least 25 passengers and injuring many others, in Buldhana district, Saturday, July 1, 2023 | PTI
After the front axle assembly got dislocated, the front portion of the bus hit the road and the resultant friction generated heat and fire (as engine oil temperature was also high since the bus was in on mode), the report said.
The vehicle then overturned on its left side after getting dragged due to the absence of the front axle, which caused more heat resulting in a blaze, it added. The bus turning turtle on its left side blocked the passenger entrance exit and the loss of alignment of the vehicle due to the impact of the accident also made the emergency door inoperative, it said.
ALSO READ | Survivor of Maharashtra bus accident recalls horror; says escaped by breaking window of burning vehicle
The report, however, noted that speed may not have been a cause of the accident since the bus took two hours and 24 minutes to cover the 152-kilometre stretch from the entry point of the Samruddhi Expressway to the spot in Sindkhedraja where the accident took place.
The bus entered the Expressway at 11:08 pm and the accident took place 152 kilometres away at 1:32 am, which means the average speed of the bus was 70 kilometres per hour, the report said.
ALSO READ | 25 passengers, including three children charred to death as bus catches fire on Maharashtra Expressway
The bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune and had started its journey from Vidarbha’s largest city at 5 pm on Friday.
It was on the Nagpur-Wardha-Yavatmal-Darwha-Karanja(Lad)-Samruddhi Expressway-Pune route, the report said.
Maha CM assures steps to prevent accidents on Samruddhi Expressway
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said his government has taken the Buldhana bus tragedy, in which 25 persons were charred to death, seriously, and assured that measures would be taken to prevent accidents on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway.
Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Pimpalkhuta village in Buldhana district, where the accident occurred in the wee hours of Saturday. They interacted with the police personnel, district administration officials and local residents who apprised them of the sequence of the tragedy.
#बुलढाणा येथे झालेल्या भीषण बस अपघातानंतर आज समृद्धी महामार्गावरील घटनास्थळाला प्रत्यक्ष भेट देऊन परिस्थितीची पाहणी केली. यावेळी उपमुख्यमंत्री @Dev_Fadnavis हेदेखील सोबत होते.
समृद्धी महामार्गावर बुलढाणा येथे खाजगी ट्रॅव्हल्स कंपनीच्या बसला झालेल्या भीषण अपघातात २५ जणांचा… pic.twitter.com/3oAmPh3nev
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) July 1, 2023
Speaking to reporters at the site, Shinde said drivers of all vehicles need to follow rules related to speed limit.
“So far, most of the accidents on the Samruddhi Expressway have occurred due to human errors. But the government has taken this accident seriously and steps will be taken to ensure that accidents and errors don’t happen,” he said.
Experts would be consulted before putting in place measures to prevent accidents, the CM added.
“The death of 25 persons in today’s accident is unfortunate. They could not be saved as the door of the bus was locked. Eight people could come out,” Shinde said.
Quick response vehicles, fire brigade, and police stationed on the expressway reached the spot on time, he said.
यापुढे समृद्धी महामार्गावर असे अपघात घडू नयेत यासाठी होणाऱ्या अपघातांचा तज्ञांकडून सखोल अभ्यास करून भविष्यात असे अपघात होऊ नयेत यासाठी ठोस उपाययोजना करण्यात येईल असे सांगितले. https://t.co/7fzLFKdZG1 pic.twitter.com/0uqSSTO0Nr
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) July 1, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 520-km-long Phase-1 of the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg in December last year. Officially named ‘Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’, it is a pet project of Fadnavis.
Ahead of its inauguration, CM Shinde had described the Samruddhi Expressway as a game-changer project with the potential to transform the state.
