Around 22 people were killed and 5 others injured when a truck collided with a bus on National Highway in Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh. The tragic incident happened in the wee hours of Monday.
Injured people were taken to the nearby hospitals. Jogendra Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police, said “The accident involving a bus of UPSRTC and a truck took place between 1.00 am and 1.30 am. 22 passengers of the bus died, while 15 sustained injuries. Six passengers are critically injured and have been hospitalised,”
After the collision both the vehicles were caught in the fire. Though fire engines reached with in no time, they couldn't extinguish the fire as they were so high. Senior police officer SK.Bhagat said “The truck and the bus both caught fire after the collision. Fire engines reached as soon as possible but the flames were so high that it took us a lot of effort to actually douse the flames and reach inside”,
The impact of the collision was so powerful that the diesl tank was completely damaged. 41 passengers were inside the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus which was on its way to Gonda district from New Delhi. The accident happened near Bada bypass. Eyewitness said the bodies of the deceased were burnt beyond recognition.
While the conducter suffered serious injuries, the driver died in the accident. The truck driver is absconding. PM Modi condoled the loss of lives tweeting “The bus accident in UP’s Bareilly is heart-rending. I condole the loss of lives. I pray that those injured recover at the earlies,”
A compensation of Rs 2 lakhs from Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50000 compensation for the injured was announced. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 for injured victims.
