At least 20 persons were killed and 15 injured after an air-conditioned sleeper bus travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur in Rajasthan caught fire near the Thaiyat village on Tuesday, ANI reported.

Jaisalmer Additional Superintendent of Police Kailash Dhan said that the moving bus had departed from Jaisalmer around 3 pm and suddenly caught fire after smoke emerged from its rear section.

There were 57 passengers on board the private bus, The Hindu reported.

Personnel from the Army had also reached the site to join the rescue operations, PTI reported.

On Wednesday, Dhan said that the fire had caused the bus door to get locked.

“Most of the bodies were found in the aisle of the bus, which shows that people tried to escape but couldn’t because the door was stuck,” the news agency quoted the police officer as saying.

A few passengers managed to escape by breaking windows.

Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police Abhishek Shivhare said that 19 bodies were recovered from the bus and 16 others who were critically injured were taken to hospital in Jodhpur, PTI reported.

One passenger died on the way to hospital.

“The bodies were sent to Jodhpur for DNA sampling and identification,” the news agency quoted Shivhare as saying. “They will be handed over to families after matching is confirmed by the Forensic Science Laboratory.”

Dhan said that forensics teams had been inspecting the accident site since Tuesday night. “Initial indications suggest a short circuit, though other possibilities like firecrackers in the bus are also being probed,” he added.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma had visited the site of the accident in Jaisalmer on Tuesday to take stock of the situation.

The chief minister said that instructions had been given to the authorities to ensure treatment for the injured and to provide all possible assistance to those affected. “The state government stands with the affected families and is committed to providing them with every possible support,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the dead. He also announced Rs 50,000 each to those injured.

Former chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot noted that 20 persons had been killed, with many others on ventilators and suffering serious burns, ANI reported.

“This is extremely tragic,” Gehlot said. “The investigation should be focused on how the bus caught fire. I heard the bus was brought in 10 days ago, raising questions about possible technical faults.”

The Congress leader said that a complaint should be filed with the company to determine how the incident took place. “The government should initiate a thorough investigation,” he added.

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