Seven people were killed and 22 more injured after a sleeper bus they were travelling in collided with a trailer and then burst into flames on the Delhi-Mumbai expressway near Rajasthan's Dausa.

The incident took place around 2:30 am last night when the bus was travelling from Rishikesh to Madhya Pradesh's Indore at high speed. The vehicle first collided with a trailer (a large truck), and then both vehicles caught fire.

Visuals showed the vehicles in huge flames as passengers screamed for help. According to officials, passengers from the upper berths were thrown to the ground. While five passengers died from burn injuries, two died from head injuries, they said.

Eyewitnesses said most passengers who died were asleep at the time of the incident.

Firefighting officials have been engaged in putting out the fire and rescuing people.

All the injured people - which mostly included women and children - have been admitted to the Dausa district hospital for treatment.

While the exact cause of the accident is not yet known, the police suspect the bus driver may have dozed off. The bus' high speed is also being considered as a possible factor.

Locals alleged that rescue and fire brigade officials arrived late at the accident site, causing more deaths. According to them, the passengers trapped in the bus were rescued nearly an hour after the fire erupted.

Additionally, locals claimed that the bus' storage compartment was filled with cigarette packets - which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

The local administration is investigating the cause of the accident and identifying the injured, officials said.

Source: NDTV

--Agencies