In the blink of an eye, lives changed forever for the passengers of the Pune-bound Vidharbha Travels sleeper coach bus which caught fire in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district and claimed 25 lives, including those of three children, on Saturday.
Those who managed to break the glass windows with their hands in the scorching temperatures and disorienting conditions were the only ones who could escape from the burning vehicle, and there was no way to help family members or co-passengers, survivors said.
“Everything happened in a fraction. The driver lost control, it overturned and caught fire before we could realise what was happening. Everyone was screaming their lungs out for help, but the ongoing vehicles didn’t care to stop and rescue us. Some of us managed to escape by breaking the glass windows,” a survivor recounted.
