About 33 people were travelling in the bus which was on its way to Pune, officials said, adding that the accident occurred at around 1.30 am on the Samruddhi-Mahamarg Expressway.

Police said the bus overturned after hitting a pole on the expressway and caught fire. "The driver of the bus, who survived the incident, said that the bus hit the pole after a tyre burst, " they said.

"25 people were burnt to death in the accident. The injured, including the bus driver, have been shifted to a hospital for treatment, said, Sunil Kadasane, Superintendent of Police, Buldhana.

He said a case has been registered and investigation is on. "The priority at this moment is to identify the bodies and hand them over to their family members," said Mr Kadasane.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has expressed his anguish over the accident and announced a compensation of ₹ 5 lakh each for those who died.

(NDTV)