Twelve passengers, including a two-year-old, died and 43 suffered injuries when their bus erupted in flames after hitting a trailer truck on the way to Mumbai from Nashik early on Saturday while many of them were asleep.

The accident took place at Nandur Naka on the Nashik-Aurangabad highway around 5.15am, police said.

“We were sleeping when we heard a loud noise. The bus had caught fire. Somehow, I managed to get off the bus with my daughter.… We are lucky to have survived,” said Anita Chaudhari, who is from Washim district.

Another passenger, Piraji Dhotre, said he was travelling in the bus with his uncles. “The accident occurred when we were asleep. Luckily, we got up and rushed out. One of my uncles suffered injuries,” Dhotre, who hails from Yavatmal district, said.

Residents said they heard a loud sound and came out of their homes. The blaze was so intense that they could not go near the bus to help the passengers, some of them said.