Seven people, including a Bihar Police sub-inspector and a prisoner in custody, were killed after a double-decker AC bus overturned on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao early Tuesday morning.
The accident took place around 5 am near milestone 262 under the Auras police station limits when the Delhi-to-Bihar bus, carrying 36 passengers, reportedly went out of control and crashed into the divider before overturning.
Police said preliminary investigation suggests the driver may have dozed off behind the wheel. Eyewitnesses claimed the bus was speeding when the driver suddenly lost control. The vehicle rammed into the divider and remained hanging from the roadside railing, causing several passengers to be flung out of the windows onto the road below.
At least 25 people, including three police personnel, were injured in the crash. One passenger suffered a severed leg in the impact.
Among those killed were Ramchandra Ram (59), a sub-inspector posted at the Siwan Police Line in Bihar, and prisoner Chhatarpal Singh Tomar (59), a resident of Gurugram. According to officials, a Siwan Police team had taken the prisoner to a Gurugram court on May 24 for a hearing and was returning when the accident occurred.
Visuals from the accident spot…
The bus rammed into the divider on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway, overturned and got wedged against the railing.
Several passengers were thrown out through the bus windows and fell below the expressway after the crash. Police teams carried out rescue operations and rushed the injured to nearby hospitals.
Passengers’ belongings lay scattered inside the overturned bus after the accident. The vehicle was travelling from Delhi to Bihar.
Police called a crane to remove the bus from the expressway.
32 injured rushed to hospital after crash
Chaos erupted after the bus overturned, with injured passengers seen writhing in pain on the slope beside the expressway. Police teams rushed to the spot soon after receiving information and launched a rescue operation. Around 32 injured passengers were taken to a nearby Community Health Centre (CHC) in six to seven ambulances. Witnesses said the hospital floor was stained with blood as the injured cried in pain awaiting treatment.
Critically injured referred to Lucknow Trauma Centre
Doctors at the CHC declared six passengers dead on arrival. The remaining injured were given primary treatment before being referred to the Lucknow Trauma Centre for advanced care, where another passenger later died during treatment.
Police said most passengers on board were residents of Basti, Siddharthnagar and Gorakhpur districts of Uttar Pradesh. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Expressway traffic disrupted after accident
The accident disrupted traffic movement on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway for nearly 30 minutes, triggering a long traffic jam. Police later removed the damaged bus using a crane and restored normal traffic flow.
Apart from the Bihar Police sub-inspector and the prisoner, the deceased were identified as Suresh Kumar Jaiswal of Mundera Bazar in Gorakhpur, Videshi Gupta of Madpur in Gorakhpur, and Vijay Kumar of Fareshan Govindpur in Basti. Two victims are yet to be identified.
‘There was a loud bang and sudden jolt’
Brijesh Kumar, an injured passenger from Ballabhgarh in Haryana, said he was asleep when the accident took place.
“There was a sudden jolt followed by a loud explosion-like sound. Before I could understand anything, everything went dark. I regained consciousness at the hospital,” he said.
Police later used a crane to remove the overturned bus from the expressway.
‘Everyone was asleep when the bus overturned’
Another injured passenger, constable Ramji, posted at the Siwan Police Line in Bihar, said the bus had left Delhi for Gorakhpur on Monday night.
“Everyone was asleep when we heard a loud sound. When I opened my eyes, the bus had overturned and people were screaming for help,” he said, adding that he later learnt the sub-inspector and the prisoner travelling with him had died in the accident.
Prisoner was lodged in jail in murder case
Siwan Jail Superintendent Devashish Sinha said prisoner Chhatarpal Singh Tomar had been lodged in jail for the past three years in connection with the murder of a Zila Parishad clerk in Siwan.
“He also faced cases under Section 307 and the Arms Act in Gurugram. Police had taken him there for court proceedings and testimony,” Sinha said.
Eyewitness says passengers were falling out of windows
An eyewitness said he was out for a morning walk when he heard a loud crash.
“When I turned back, the bus had already overturned. Passengers were falling out of the windows, while others were breaking the glass panes to escape,” he said, adding that he immediately alerted the police.
Police say traffic restored on expressway
Safipur Circle Officer Sonam Singh said the accident took place between 5.15 am and 5.30 am on Tuesday.
“Five people died on the spot, while two others succumbed during treatment. One injured passenger was discharged from the CHC, while 20 others were referred to higher medical centres in Lucknow. Traffic movement on the expressway has now been restored,” she said.
