21 burned alive in bus crash inferno

Twenty-one people were burned alive when a bus flipped over and caught fire in a remote part of central India.

The bus veered out of control after one of its tyres burst outside the town of Maneri in Madhya Pradesh state, yesterday, said Arakshya Kailash Varma, an aide to the local police chief.

A petrol can behind the driver’s seat sparked the fire, Varma said. Twenty-eight others were being treated for injuries at Jabalpur hospitals, Varma said.

Buses are the most popular means of transport in rural India. However, many are badly maintained and overcrowded, and road accidents are not uncommon.