Twenty-five dead after bus crashes and catches fire

A burst tyre caused a bus to lose control, crash into a road divider and go up in flames – killing 25 people – in western India, police said.

Some 33 people were on the bus when the smash happened at about 1.30am on Saturday on a motorway in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra state, police officer Sunil Kadasne said.

The eight survivors were taken to hospital, he said.

The private travel bus was headed to Pune city from Nagpur, another city in the state.

Deadly road crashes are common in India, often due to reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles.

More than 110,000 people are killed every year in road accidents across India, police said.