6 killed, 20 injured as bus hits car on Lucknow expressway
nLUCKNOW: Six people were killed and at least 20 others injured when the private bus they were travelling in rammed into a stationary car on the Lucknow-agra expressway after hitting another vehicle in Kannauj district on Sunday, police said.
The accident occurred around 5:15 am, 122 kilometres from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. According to the police, the bus was carrying around 45 labourers from Bihar’s Madhubani district to Delhi. Both the vehicles overturned and fell off the expressway. “A private bus with around 40 passengers fell off the highway after colliding with a stationary SUV. Five passengers were killed on the spot while another died minutes after reaching hospital,” said Amrendra PD Singh, Kannauj’s superintendent of police (SP).
According to news agency PTI, bus driver Rajendra (40), a resident of Faridabad, is among the six deceased. Locals rushed to the spot and helped police rescue the trapped passengers.
“The other deceased have been identified as Asharfi Nishad (50), Lalbabu (40), Laxmi Shah (42) Chandrika (55) and an unknown person,” PTI report quoted the police as saying.
Six people travelling in the car were injured and have been admitted to PGI in Saifai. Six persons travelling in the car received injuries and have been admitted to PGI in Saifai. Condition of some of the injured is said to be critical.
Singh said: “It appears that the bus driver failed to spot the SUV in time that led to the collision and then failed to control the bus which toppled down.”
A police team reached the spot within a few minutes and called an ambulance that carried the injured to hospital.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolences over the death of the passengers and directed officials to ensure proper treatment of those injured.