India, Oct. 15 -- At least 20 passengers were burnt alive while 15 others got injured after a moving AC sleeper bus caught fire on the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur Highway on Tuesday afternoon. The bus, carrying 57 passengers, had left Jaisalmer around 3pm when flames engulfed it within minutes, leaving passengers with little chance to escape.

Pokaran MLA Mahant Pratap Puri confirmed the deaths, stating that 19 passengers were charred inside the bus while another succumbed to injuries in Jodhpur.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy, with the central government announcing an ex gratia of Rs.2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs.50,000 for the injured.

Officials said the toll may ...