Kota, India— Eight people were killed and six others were injured on October 17, 2026 after a passenger bus left the carriageway of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and dropped into a ditch near Kota, Rajasthan.
The bus was carrying more than a dozen passengers when it lost control in the early hours. Police said the vehicle broke through the roadside barrier and landed several feet below the main alignment. The impact crushed the front section.
Kota district police and expressway patrol teams reached the site within minutes. They found passengers trapped inside the wreckage. Local villagers also rushed in to pull people out before ambulances arrived.
"We heard a loud sound and ran to the spot. The bus was on its side," a local resident who joined the rescue said. The injured were taken to Kota Medical College and nearby hospitals for treatment.
A senior police official at the scene said, "Eight persons have died. Six are under treatment. We have registered a case and are checking the driver's role and vehicle condition." Officials did not release the names of the victims immediately.
Traffic on the stretch was held for nearly two hours. Cranes were brought in to lift the bus from the ditch. The lane was later cleared and vehicles were diverted through a service road.
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is a high-speed corridor and this section near Kota has seen heavy bus movement at night. Investigators are now looking at speed, fatigue, and a possible tyre burst as factors.
Families of the passengers gathered at the hospital and the police control room through the morning. Officials said identification is underway and post-mortem examinations will be completed before the bodies are handed over.
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