BHOPAL, Nov 21: At least 60 people were killed in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday when a bus caught fire after a passenger carrying cans of fuel lit a cigarette.

Thirty people were being treated — mostly for burn injuries — in hospital, an official said.

The accident occurred on Wednesday in Maniri village, 600kms from the state capital Bhopal. So far, 21 bodies have been recovered. The rest are charred beyond recognition, the official said.

According to survivors, the overcrowded bus was carrying more than 100 passengers, most of whom were returning from a village fair, when the accident occurred.

Preliminary investigations suggested that a lit cigarette from a passenger lugging two cans of petrol was responsible for the explosion, the official said.

Due to the remoteness of the village, it took more than two hours for the fire brigade to reach the scene.—AFP