Lucknow: At least 22 passengers were charred to death and several others were injured when a state roadways bus caught fire after colliding with a truck on National Highway 24 in Bareilly district in the wee hours of Monday. The bus was on its way to Gonda from New Delhi.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief at the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of those who have died in the accident and Rs 50,000 to the injured persons.
The accident occurred on an under-construction stretch of the highway between Bareilly and Shahjahanpur. The bus driver was reportedly speeding past a junction when it collided with a truck.
According to witnesses, the bus caught fire moments after colliding with truck giving no time for passengers to evacuate. Most passengers were asleep when the accident occurred. Some managed to escape through the windows.
The bus caught fire minutes after colliding with the truck and gave no time to passengers to escape. The diesel tank of the bus burst and caught fire.
