At least 11 people were killed and 38 injured after a bus hit a container and caught fire in Maharashtra's Nashik city early Saturday.
The bus caught fire on Aurangabad road in Nashik after hitting a container at around 5 am, Nashik police officials said. The injured have been taken to the hospital.
"A luxury bus travelling to Mumbai from Yavatmal hit a trailer truck going to Pune at an intersection near Mirchi Hotel on Nashik-Aurangabad highway. Soon after ramming into the truck, the bus caught fire in which 11 passengers died," Nashik Police Commissioner Jayant Naiknavare said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the dead and said the medical expenses of the injured would be borne by the state government.
Shinde told reporters that a high-level meeting will be convened to identify the places in the state where accidents happen frequently and necessary action will be taken.
Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each, he added.
The injured are being treated at the District Civil Hospital. The death toll is likely to go up, officials said.
-with PTI inputs