Tragedy Strikes as Bus to Paradip Catches Fire: One Dead, Dozens Hospitalized

A bus en route from Kolkata to Paradip in Odisha met with a tragic incident on the National Highway near Kharagpur in West Midnapore district, West Bengal, on Friday night. The bus caught fire, leading to the unfortunate death of a woman identified as Pushpanjali Das, a resident of Kendrapara district in Odisha. Two other family members accompanying her survived the incident.

The majority of the passengers were migrant traders from Odisha, returning home for Diwali. While most passengers managed to evacuate, 36 individuals were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation or injuries sustained during the chaotic exit from the burning bus. The passengers, primarily traders, had visited Kolkata for business before the Kali Puja and Diwali festivals.

Although the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, the incident resulted in the loss of the passengers’ earnings and belongings. Local residents initiated rescue efforts, later joined by police and fire services personnel who deployed three fire tenders to extinguish the blaze.