Kannauj: Over 20 commuters are believed to have been burnt alive following a head on collision between a private bus and a truck, which led to a massive fire.
The ill-fated bus was passing through Kannauj district. The private bus packed with passengers allegedly didn’t have firefighting equipment.
Its emergency windows didn’t open which made matters worse. Only a few youngsters could save their lives by jumping from the bus. Fire engines reached almost an hour late and efforts to douse the fire were on, till the time of going to press, sources said.
“Over 21 passengers are being treated in a nearby hospital and the number of deaths is unclear,” said DGP OP Singh.
A district administration official said, ‘‘There is no clarity about number of passengers on board and the casualties as the bus was going from Farrukhabad to Jaipur and several passengers boarded the vehicle and many others got down, before it reached the fateful mishap spot.”
The double-decker bus burst into flames on the GT Road. The accident took place around 09:30 pm near Ghinoi village. Since it was an overnight sleeper bus and the windows were closed on account of the cold, several people simply died in sleep.
UP CM Yogiadityanath has taken cognisance of the fire and asked the Kannauj DM and SP to rush to the spot and provide all possible medical attention and help to the passengers.
