Kannauj: 20 feared dead as sleeper bus collides with truck
At least 20 people are feared to have died in a tragic accident as a private sleeper bus collided with a truck in the Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh on Friday night. The incident took place at Dewar Marg when a bus, carrying 45 passengers and headed to Jaipur, crashed into a truck, Inspector-General of Police( Kanpur) Mohit Agarwal said on Saturday. Here's more.
Agarwal told ANI that while 25 people were rescued from the bus, 20 others are unaccounted for. He said, "The bodies are badly burned, their bones are scattered, so only a DNA test by the forensic team will determine the death toll." Kannauj Superintendent of Police Amrendra Prasad Singh told PTI that 10-12 passengers had also jumped from the burning bus to save themselves.
Meanwhile, the survivors who suffered injuries are either receiving treatment at local hospitals or have been discharged. Kannauj District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar also said that some survivors simply went home and did not visit the hospital, ANI reported. The blaze has since been contained. It took four fire engines 30-40 minutes to douse the flames in both vehicles, NDTV reported.
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police OP Singh said a diesel tank apparently exploded due to the collision causing the bus to burst into flames, PTI reported. The DGP added that their first priority, however, is to rescue all passengers safely.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh to the next of kin of those deceased and Rs. 50,000 to those injured. The CM extended his condolences and has sought an incident report from the District Magistrate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his condolences, wishing a speedy recovery to those injured in the accident.
