JAISALMER: One person died and six others were injured after a private sleeper bus travelling from Nachna in Jaisalmer to Ahmedabad caught fire late on Thursday night. The accident occurred around 3.30 am on Friday when 16 passengers were asleep inside the bus. In the incident, one passenger who suffered severe burn injuries died during treatment at a hospital in Palanpur, while more than six other passengers were injured. Passengers somehow managed to jump out through the windows to save their lives, but all their belongings, including luggage and mobile phones, were completely destroyed in the fire. According to preliminary information, the fire is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit in the bus’s air conditioner (AC). The incident happened so suddenly that passengers had little time to react. Within moments, the bus was engulfed in flames, causing panic among those inside. Most passengers escaped by jumping out of the windows, but one passenger was severely trapped in the flames and sustained critical burn injuries. Several others also suffered minor burn injuries. The seriously injured passenger was first taken to a hospital in Dhanera, Gujarat, and later referred to Palanpur due to his critical condition, where he died during treatment. Doctors said that the passenger had been brought to the hospital in a very critical condition. Other injured passengers received primary treatment for minor injuries. Nirmal Raiyani, operator of Swagat Travels, said that the bus service between Nachna and Ahmedabad had started only three to four days ago. He added that the fire was so intense that passengers lost all their belongings, including important documents and mobile phones. As a result, contacting their family members has been difficult since their phones were destroyed. Raiyani said, “As soon as we received information about the accident, we sent our team to the spot. We are trying to contact the passengers and their families. The incident appears to have occurred due to a short circuit.” Meanwhile, the Dhanera police administration in Gujarat is present at the site and has begun a detailed investigation into the cause of the fire. Notably, on 14 October 2025, a private bus travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire, resulting in the tragic death of 29 passengers due to burn injuries, while several others were also injured. The investigation into that incident is still ongoing.
