Mathura:
An elderly passenger was killed when a private bus carrying pilgrims from Telangana to the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh caught fire on Tuesday, police said.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze, which created chaos at the tourist facility in Vrindavan where the bus was parked, they said.
According to Additional SP City Arvind Kumar, the bus had around 50 pilgrims and arrived at the Vrindavan Tourist Centre on Tuesday evening.
The group was en route to Prayagraj for a holy dip at the Maha Kumbh later in the night. While some pilgrims ventured out to visit temples, others stayed back to prepare food.
Amid this, sparks emerged from the bus, quickly escalating into a massive fire. Police and fire services were alerted immediately.
One of the pilgrims raised an alarm and pointed out that an elderly man, identified as Dhrupati, was still inside the bus. However, by the time fire teams arrived, the blaze had engulfed the vehicle, and Dhrupati was found dead.
A fellow passenger who had been sitting near Dhrupati alleged that the person who died was smoking a beedi and chose to remain in the bus while others stepped out to visit temples.
He speculated that the fire might have started due to the lit beedi.
Senior police officials reached the site and are investigating the incident. The body has been sent for post-mortem, Kumar said.
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