Jaipur: A major accident took place on Saturday evening in Dholpur district’s Rajakheda area, where a sleeper bus caught fire after coming in contact with a high-tension electricity wire. The incident occurred when the bus, on its way to pick up a wedding procession, brushed against a low-hanging power line near Samona village.
According to Rajakheda police station in-charge Gambhir Singh, the mishap occurred around 5.15 p.m. The contact with the live wire sent an electric current surging through the bus, sparking an intense blaze that rapidly engulfed the vehicle.
A woman passing by, identified as Bhagwan Devi, wife of Than Singh and a resident of Samona, suffered severe burn injuries while herding her livestock near the spot. She received initial treatment locally before being referred to Agra for advanced medical care. In the electric shock, five to six goats also died.
A fire brigade team from Rajakheda reached the scene around 5.45 p.m. and managed to douse the flames within half an hour. The incident took place roughly 150 metres before the Government Higher Secondary School in Samona.
Police said the bus was on its way to the village to collect members of a wedding party before heading to Sikandarpur. Preliminary investigation suggests the driver misjudged the height of the sagging high-tension line, resulting in the bus getting electrified.
As flames spread, panic gripped the villagers. Local residents rushed to move children and animals to safety, fearing an explosion from the bus’s diesel tank. The bus driver and conductor fled from the scene soon after the incident, and police have initiated efforts to locate them. Fortunately, no passengers were aboard at the time.
The tragic episode has once again raised concerns about the safety of overhead electricity lines in rural regions. Residents of Samona have urged the administration to conduct immediate inspections of low-hanging high-tension wires in the area to avert future accidents.
(Inputs from IANS)