UP: 7 charred to death after truck, van collide
LUCKNOW: At least seven people were charred to death when a truck and a van collided near a toll plaza along the LucknowAgra Expressway on Sunday evening, police said.
As per the preliminary probe, the truck was on way to Unnao’s Bangarmau while the van was coming from the opposite direction. After the collision, the van caught fire, said policemen present on the spot.
“It seems that van’s doors got locked after a fire engulfed it,” said an official.
Locals informed police about the incident and soon fire brigade vehicles were also rushed to the spot.
Unnao’s superintendent of police, Vikrant Vir, said, “Seven bodies have been retrieved and rescue operation is still on.” The identity of the seven was not immediately known.
“Eye-witnesses said the Omini van’s tyre burst and its impact pushed it on the wrong side of the road, causing the mishap,” said Vir. He added they were trying to trace the families of the victims.
Police said the van was CNGenabled and after it caught fire, its cylinder possibly burst.
Circle officer of Unnao, Gaurav Tripathi, said, “The van is registered in the name of Ankit Vajpayee.”
The truck driver fled the spot and police have constituted a team to nab him, he added.
The traffic on the expressway was disrupted for several hours after the accident.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the deaths in the accident. He asked the district magistrate and superintendent of police of Unnao to monitor the rescue operation and also ensure medical treatment to those injured.
At least 14 people were killed and more than 30 injured when a private sleeper bus slammed into a stationary truck on the Agra-Lucknow expressway on Wednesday last. The bus was going to Motihari in Bihar from Delhi.
The accident took place near Nagla Khangar under the Sirsaganj police station of Firozabad district, about 50 kilometres from Agra.