The mass cremation of 24 out of the 25 victims who were killed in Buldhana district of Maharashtra on Saturday when a private bus caught fire was conducted on Sunday, a senior official said.
According to the official, most of the victims were charred beyond recognition, so efforts were made to convince their families of holding a mass cremation of the bodies instead of carrying out DNA analysis, as it is a lengthy procedure which may take days to ascertain the identity of the deceased.
However, the body of one of the victims will be handed over to the family for burial.
The mass cremation was held at Vaikunth Dham Hindu Smashan Bhoomi in Buldhana. Relatives of the deceased and Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan were present during the cremation.
In the tragic accident, at least 25 passengers burned to death after a private bus caught fire. According to police officials, the bus hit a divider on the Nagpur-Mumbai "Samruddhi Expressway".
The deceased included 11 men and 14 women, while eight persons, including the driver and his assistant, survived the tragedy.