Lucknow: Nine passengers were killed and several others injured after a sleeper bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway near the Jewar airport area in Greater Noida late Wednesday night.
The bus that met with an accident had over 60 fines of which 20 are yet to be paid. This amounts to Rs 1.70 lakh.
The accident occurred around midnight near the 33-km milestone under the Jewar police station area. The bus was travelling from Delhi to Bihar with around 30 to 35 passengers on board, according to a passenger.
Police said the deceased included one woman and eight men. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Police and emergency services launched a rescue operation after receiving information about the fire.
Passenger Sunil said he had boarded a Raj Kalpana Travels bus, registration number BR32PA8647, from Kashmere Gate in Delhi for Rath. He alleged that around 11.30 pm, when the bus reached kilometre 33, passengers noticed a burning smell from the cabin and informed the driver and conductor.
He alleged that the driver did not stop immediately to investigate and that both the driver and conductor continued smoking bidis or cigarettes in the cabin.
When we insisted they said such smells are common.
Another passenger said that driver bluntly said if you die, I am not responsible. The bus will not stop.
Flames soon erupted near the driver's seat and rapidly engulfed the bus, trapping several passengers. Some escaped after noticing the fire, while others were unable to get out.
The blaze caused panic among motorists on the expressway. A video showed the bus engulfed in flames.
Police said the exact cause of the fire had not been established and an investigation was underway. But they believe a blast in AC compressor lead to initial fir
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the accident and expressed condolences to the families of those killed. He directed officials to ensure proper treatment for the injured and provide all possible assistance to the victims' families, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
President Droupadi Murmu also expressed grief over the deaths. In a post on X on Thursday, she said the loss of lives in the bus fire was deeply distressing, conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
