A sleeper bus collided with a truck and caught fire early Wednesday on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Dausa district of Rajasthan. There were about 37 passengers in the bus going from Haridwar to Indore. 8 people died while 22 were injured in the accident. The incident happened between 2:30 and 3:00 pm. As soon as the bus collided, fire broke out and the entire bus was burnt to ashes. The injured were admitted to nearby hospitals.

This accident is not alone. There have been many horrific incidents of bus fire in India in recent months. In October 2025, a bus caught fire due to electrical failure in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in which 22 people burnt to death. In the same month, a bus burst into flames after colliding with a motorcycle in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh; 19-25 people died.

In March 2026, 13-14 people were killed in a fire after a bus-tipper collision in Markapuram, Andhra Pradesh. There have been a total of hundreds of deaths and hundreds of injuries in these incidents. In most cases, electrical short circuits, engine overheating, jammed doors and flammable interior materials are the biggest causes. Let us know how such problems can be prevented?

This way the accident could have been prevented!

There is a great need to take immediate steps to stop such a situation. First of all, automatic fire detection and suppression systems should be made mandatory in all buses (especially private intercity sleeper buses). In case of fire in engine bay, battery and electrical circuits, quick extinguishing technology can increase the time of rescue. Use of flame-retardant material in the interior of buses should be mandatory, so that the fire does not spread rapidly.

Clear marking required

Emergency exit doors and windows should be clearly marked and every passenger should be given a safety briefing at the time of boarding. Better design and regular maintenance are necessary to deal with the problem of jammed doors. Drivers should be given fire fighting training and strict adherence to speed limits. It has now become necessary to have more strict monitoring of long distance buses on expressways at night.

If these measures were adopted in time, many lives could have been saved. In the Dausa accident, if there was a fire suppression system in the bus, the fire could have been controlled in the initial stage. Passengers could get out quickly by emergency hummer. The government, transport department and bus operators will have to together give priority to road safety. Mere investigation and compensation will not suffice. Systemic changes are necessary.