AC bus parked outside hotel catches fire, child burnt alive:Body found under seat after 2-hour search

A heartbreaking accident occurred on Friday night on the National Highway, about 20 kilometres from Shajapur district headquarters. The Intercity Express bus (MP-07 JL 9090), traveling from Indore to Gwalior, caught fire due to a short circuit. In the accident, Abhishek Jain’s 4-year-old innocent son, a resident of Shivpuri, was burnt alive inside the bus. According to passengers and eyewitnesses, there was a continuous smell of burning wiring from the bus during the journey. Female passenger Malti Sharma and others had complained about this to the bus driver, but he ignored the warning. Around 12 AM, as soon as the bus stopped at Hotel Jain Path on the National Highway, smoke started rising from the bonnet five minutes later. In no time, the entire bus was engulfed in flames. See pictures No emergency exit or fire extinguisher in bus More than 50 passengers were on board when the fire broke out, triggering panic. The bus reportedly had neither an emergency window nor a fire extinguisher, and even the main door failed to open. With help from locals, passengers escaped after breaking windows and glass panes. Amid the chaos, the driver and cleaner fled the spot, while most passengers’ belongings were reduced to ashes. Bus cut open with JCB, child’s body found after 2 hours Even after the fire was controlled, the missing child could not be traced. A JCB machine was used to break the bus gates and windows, while a welding mechanic was called to cut parts of the bus and remove seats. After nearly two hours of searching, the child’s skeleton was recovered from beneath a seat and sent to Shajapur District Hospital for post-mortem. Father returns gold jewellery while searching for son Amid the tragedy, Abhishek Jain, father of the child, found gold jewellery worth lakhs belonging to another passenger while searching through the burnt bus. Despite his loss, he handed the ornaments over to Tarana TI Ramcharan Bhadoria. He also helped rescue several passengers immediately after the fire, risking his own life. ‘First fire brigade vehicle had no water’ At the hospital, Abhishek Jain accused the administration and fire brigade of negligence. He said he was travelling from Indore to Shivpuri with his wife and two sons and had alerted the driver after noticing a smell, but was ignored. He claimed the first fire brigade vehicle arrived after nearly 30 minutes without water, while other vehicles came later. He urged the media to highlight the issue so ‘no one else’s future burns like mine.’ Five fire brigades reached spot Police teams from Tarana and Maksi police stations reached the spot after the incident. Five fire brigade vehicles from Maksi, Tarana, and Shajapur later brought the blaze under control. Tarana TI Ramcharan Bhadauria said the body had been sent for post-mortem, and strict legal action would follow after investigation.