In the scorching heat of Rajasthan’s Thar Desert, an overnight journey from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur turned into an ordeal of horror. On October 14, a private air-conditioned sleeper bus carrying 57 passengers, including families and children, caught fire near Thaiyat village, about 10 kilometers from Jaisalmer city. Within minutes, the vehicle, which was a gleaming new acquisition equipped with AC only five days ago, became a death trap. Twenty-one people, including three children, were burned beyond recognition. Sixteen others are suffering from severe burns in local hospitals.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of life in the tragedy, and also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma was quick to visit the accident site in Jaisalmer and the hospital in Jodhpur
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Rajasthan government has announced financial assistance to the dependents of those who lost their lives in the Jaisalmer bus accident. Under this, financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each has been approved for the dependents of the deceased. According to the official statement, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has approved financial assistance for the dependents of the deceased and the injured in the Jaisalmer bus accident. The Chief Minister said that in this hour of mourning, the state government stands with the families of the deceased and is committed to providing them full assistance and providing all possible treatment to the injured.
Under this, financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each has been approved for the dependents of the deceased. An assistance of Rs 25 lakh each will be given to those families where three or more people have died in this accident. The seriously injured will be given financial assistance of Rs 2-2 lakh and other injured will be given Rs 1-1 lakh. Sharma has given this approval while relaxing the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund rules.
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On Tuesday afternoon, a private bus going to Jodhpur caught fire, barely ten minutes after it left Jaisalmer. Within no time the bus burst into flames and 19 passengers were burnt alive and 16 others sustained serious burn injuries. One of the seriously injured died on the way to the hospital on Tuesday night. Another injured person died on Wednesday.