Eight Killed as Minibus Carrying Pilgrims Plunges into Drain on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

Eight people were killed and between eight and fifteen others injured early Saturday when a minibus carrying pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh plunged into a 15-foot drain along the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Kota district. The vehicle, carrying roughly 23 passengers, left the roadway near pole number 384 under Simliya police station around 6 a.m.

The passengers were members of extended families from Betul and Bhopal districts. They had left Bhopal around 7 p.m. on Friday for a multi-day visit to the Khatu Shyamji temple in Sikar district. Police and district officials said the group was on a four- to five-day pilgrimage when the crash occurred.

Rescue teams reached the site quickly, but mud and standing water inside the drain slowed recovery of the vehicle and the people trapped inside. Cranes were brought in to lift the damaged minibus. Eight bodies were recovered. The injured were taken to New Medical College Hospital and MBS Hospital in Kota. District Collector Piyush Samariya confirmed that eight passengers were declared dead on arrival or shortly afterward.

Preliminary accounts from police suggest the driver may have fallen asleep. Additional Superintendent of Police Ram Kalyan Meena said the vehicle was traveling on the eight-lane expressway when it veered off and struck the roadside barrier before dropping into the drain. The exact cause remains under investigation. No other vehicles were reported involved.

Five of the eight people who died were women, according to local reports. Names released by authorities and family members include Aruna, Vaishnavi, Trisha, Krishna, Anita, Om, Suryavanshi and Raju. An injured passenger identified as Anshika told reporters she was traveling with uncles, aunts and other relatives. She said the group had planned to reach the temple for darshan.

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is an access-controlled, mostly eight-lane highway designed to cut travel time between the two cities. Sections in Rajasthan have been open for traffic, though the full route is still under construction in places. The stretch near Kota has seen other accidents since it opened, though officials have not linked this crash to any specific design flaw.

Kota Rural Superintendent of Police Sujeet Shankar said most of the passengers belonged to extended families from Madhya Pradesh. Betul Superintendent of Police Virendra Jain confirmed that the victims came from Ghatbiroli village under Multai police station, about 65 kilometers from Betul town. Local officials in both states have been coordinating with hospitals and families.

The injured who remain in hospital include several in critical condition. Three ambulances were used to move people from the scene. District officials visited the hospitals to review treatment. No official statement has been issued on possible compensation or further inquiry beyond the ongoing police investigation.

Pilgrimage travel on the expressway is common, particularly during festival seasons. The Khatu Shyam temple draws large numbers of devotees from Madhya Pradesh and neighboring states. The early-morning timing and the long overnight drive from Bhopal have led investigators to focus on driver fatigue as the most likely immediate cause.

The crash is the latest fatal incident on India’s expanding expressway network. Authorities have not yet released a full passenger list or confirmed whether any children were among the dead. Families from Betul have begun traveling to Kota to identify bodies and arrange for their return. The expressway remained open after the vehicle was removed, though traffic was slowed during the recovery operation.