Buldhana Bus Accident: RTO submits report, rules out tyre burst, over speeding reasons
New Delhi : Amravati Regional Transport Office (RTO) has submitted a report stating that over speeding and a tyre burst were not the causes of the tragic bus accident in Buldhana, which claimed the lives of 26 passengers. The incident occurred on the Samruddhi Expressway in Sindkhedraha, Buldhana, on the early morning of June 30th.
According to the RTO report, there was no evidence of rubber pieces or tyre markings at the accident scene. Additionally, the report highlighted that the wheel disc was bent, indicating an impact, rather than the tyre being the cause of the accident.
Survivors who provided information to the RTO claimed that the bus collided with a steel pole on the right side of the road, leading to the driver losing control and hitting the divider. The impact on the front tyre hitting the divider was so severe that it dislocated the assembly from the bus chassis. Subsequently, the bus struck the divider once again, this time from the right side of the diesel tank.
The collision with the road surface caused friction, generating heat that ultimately resulted in a fire. The engine oil temperature was already high, as the bus was running, and the absence of the dislocated front axle caused the vehicle to overturn on its left side. The bus then dragged along the road, intensifying the damage and contributing to the fire. Unfortunately, the passengers were unable to escape as the entry and exit gates were on the left side, and the emergency door became inoperative due to the impact.
The RTO report also revealed that the bus took two hours and 24 minutes to cover the 152-kilometer stretch from the expressway's entry point to the accident location. Calculating the average speed, the report stated that the bus was traveling at around 70 kilometers per hour, indicating that excessive speed was not a factor in the accident.
Initially, the bus driver, Danish Sheikh, claimed that the accident occurred due to a tyre burst. However, the RTO report contradicts this claim, leading to further investigation. The police have detained Sheikh and booked him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The bus conductor, Arvind Jagtap, has also been taken into custody and is being interrogated in connection with the case.
The investigation in the matter is still underway.
