Eight killed when minibus falls into drain on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Kota

Eight people died and at least eight others were injured when a minibus carrying roughly 23 passengers left the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and fell into a 15-foot-deep drain in Kota district, Rajasthan, around 6 a.m. on October 17.

The vehicle was traveling from Bhopal toward the Khatu Shyamji temple in Sikar district. Most passengers belonged to extended families from Betul and Bhopal districts in Madhya Pradesh. They had left Bhopal around 7 p.m. the previous evening for a multi-day pilgrimage. The crash occurred near pole number 384 under Simliya police station limits.

Kota Rural Additional Superintendent of Police Ram Kalyan Meena said preliminary findings indicated the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel on the eight-lane expressway. Rescue teams used cranes to lift the vehicle from the drain. Mud and standing water slowed the work. District Collector Piyush Samariya reported that seven people were declared dead on arrival at hospitals and one more died later. Critically injured passengers were taken to intensive care at New Medical College Hospital and MBS Hospital in Kota. Three ambulances moved the injured.

An injured passenger identified as Anshika told reporters she was traveling with uncles, aunts and other relatives. Names of some of the deceased that have been released include Aruna, Vaishnavi, Trisha, Krishna, Anita, Om, Suryavanshi and Raju. Five of the eight dead were women. The exact number of people on board has been reported between 23 and 25; police continue to reconcile the count.

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is a high-speed corridor. Fatigue-related departures from the roadway remain a documented risk on long stretches where drivers cover large distances overnight. Local villagers reached the site before formal rescue units and assisted until cranes arrived. The cause remains under investigation; police have not ruled out other factors.

The accident adds to the list of fatal crashes on the expressway involving pilgrim groups traveling at night. Immediate questions concern the availability of rest facilities and the enforcement of driver-hour rules on the corridor.