Bus overturns, catches fire after tyre burst in Maharashtra's Beed; 20 injured

Representational image. File pic

Twenty passengers were injured after a private tourist bus overturned and caught fire following a tyre burst in Maharashtra's Beed district on Monday, news agency PTI reported, quoting a police officer.

The incident took place at 2.30 am near Surani on Manjarsumba-Ambajogai Road in Kaij tehsil, around 50 kilometres from the district headquarters, the officer quoted above added.

"The bus, with 28 passengers, was on its way from Jalgaon to Latur. Its tyre burst at a sharp curve, causing the vehicle to go out of control, break the roadside railing and fall into a ditch on the entrance (left) side. Passengers from a Nanded-Pune bus passing by rushed in and managed to rescue those in the ill-fated vehicle, which caught fire soon after", the officer said.

He further highlighted that around 20 passengers were injured. They were shifted to the sub-district hospital nearby in six ambulances by a team under Kaij Police Station Inspector Swapnil Unawane.

Medical Officer Dr Awez Shaikh, speaking about the incident, said, "Eleven passengers were later shifted to Swami Ramanand Teerth Government Rural Hospital and Medical College in Ambajogai and the remaining nine to a facility in Latur."

Police said the fire gutted passenger belongings and also spread to a nearby farm plot, destroying mango, jamun, tamarind, berry, and lemon trees. The injured include a three-month-old child, the police said.

50-year-old, son killed as speeding car rams into motorcycle in Latur

A 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son were killed after a speeding car crashed into their motorcycle on the roadside in Maharashtra's Latur district, police said on Tuesday.

The tragic accident took place near Umarga Pati village in Jalkot tehsil around 8 pm on Sunday.

Ankush Vishwanath Gite, who served as deputy sarpanch, and his son Omkar were riding home on their motorcycle and had stopped by the side of the road when the car rammed into them. The impact caused the car to fall into a nearby pit, an official said.

Locals immediately rushed the father-son duo to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.
The occupants of the car survived the crash as the airbags deployed, the official added. The car driver has been handed over to the police.

(With PTI inputs)