8 killed, 15 injured as minibus falls into 15-foot drain along Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Kota

An injured person being treated at a hospital after a minibus carrying around 17 passengers veered off the road and fell into a 15-foot-deep drain on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, in Kota district, Rajasthan on Saturday (October 17, 2026). | Photo Credit: PTI

Around eight people were killed and 15 others injured — eight of them critical — after a minibus carrying around 23 passengers veered off the road and plunged into a 15-foot-deep drain along the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan's Kota district at around 6 a.m. on Saturday (October 17, 2026).

The accident occurred near pole number 384 on the Expressway. Authorities suspect the driver fell asleep at the wheel or felt drowsy, causing the vehicle to veer off the eight-lane road.

Emergency personnel immediately launched rescue operations. Mud and water accumulated inside the drain initially hampered their efforts, prompting authorities to deploy cranes to fish out the damaged vehicle and recover the individuals trapped inside.