At least 20 people are feared dead in a road accident in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district after the bus they were travelling collided with a truck and caught fire on Friday night.
There were about 50 passengers on the bus when the accident took place.
Police said 25 passengers were rescued from the burning bus, who are receiving treatment at local hospitals.
Meanwhile, 13 people who were injured in the accident yesterday are admitted at Government Medical College.
The sleeper bus, from Farukhabad, was headed to Jaipur via Gursahaiganj in Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh when it collided with a truck on the GT Road. The accident was so severe that the oil tank of the truck exploded, setting both vehicles on fire.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has condoled the deaths and sought a detailed report from the District Magistrate of Kannauj. The Chief Minister also announced a relief of Rs two lakh each to the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Saturday condoled the deaths.
“It is very saddening to know about the horrific road accident in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. Many people have lost their lives in this accident. I express my condolences to the kin of the dead, and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured,” PM Modi said in a tweet.
उत्तर प्रदेश के कन्नौज में हुए भीषण सड़क हादसे के बारे में जानकर अत्यंत दुख पहुंचा है। इस दुर्घटना में कई लोगों को अपनी जान गंवानी पड़ी है। मैं मृतकों के परिजनों के प्रति अपनी संवेदनाएं प्रकट करता हूं, साथ ही घायलों के शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की कामना करता हूं।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 11, 2020
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his grief and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.
“I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of 20 people and injuries to many people due to the fire in a bus caused by collision with a truck in Kannauj. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the dead and wish for speedy recovery of the injured,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.
Meanwhile, a forensic analysis will be required to identify not just the victim bodies, but also the number of the dead in the horrific bus accident.
The police will be doing DNA tests.
“The bodies were so badly burnt, their bones scattered that it was difficult to tell the exact number of the deaths. And the identities will also be known after the DNA tests,” said Kanpur Inspector General of Police (IG) Mohit Aggarwal.