UP man, daughter killed as bus catches fire after coming in contact with power line in Rajasthan

Pilibhit (UP), Oct 28 (PTI) A man and his daughter from Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district were burned to death in front of their family members when a private bus carrying labourers caught fire after coming in contact with a high-tension power line in Jaipur on Tuesday, police said.

According to police, several passengers managed to jump out of the bus, while 10 others were injured.

Naseem (50), who had been working as a labourer at a brick kiln in Manoharpur, Jaipur, for the past three years, was travelling with his wife Najma, sons Raja and Faizan, and daughters Senam and Sehrun – all residents of Sherpur Kalan village, a police officer said.

Families of Noor Mohammad and Rahees from the same village were also on the bus, Puranpur police station, Inspector Ashok Kumar, said.

The incident occurred when the sleeper bus, carrying more than 50 labourers from Pilibhit to a brick kiln in Manoharpur, came in contact with an 11kV power line while passing through an internal ‘kaccha’ road, he said.

Kumar added that Naseem and his daughter, Senam, died while 10 others were injured in the incident.

Additional Superintendent of Police Tejpal Singh said household items, motorcycles, and bicycles loaded on the roof of the bus touched the live wire, triggering the fire.

Some gas cylinders kept inside also caught fire, worsening the blaze, the officer said.

Jaipur District Collector Jitendra Soni said two of the cylinders exploded in the incident. Quoting eyewitnesses, he said two labourers had stepped out of the bus to guide the driver under the wires, but the items on the roof touched the high-tension line. PTI COR NAV OZ OZ