At least 13 people were killed and 32 others injured in two separate bus accidents on expressways in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh early Wednesday.
Rajasthan Accident: Eight Dead in Dausa
In Rajasthan's Dausa district, eight people were killed and 24 injured after a bus rammed into a truck and caught fire on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Dhanawda under the Kolwa police station area. According to Dausa SP Piyush Dixit, five passengers were burnt alive, two died on the spot due to severe head injuries, and one later succumbed to burn injuries at a hospital.
The Hans Travels bus was travelling from Rishikesh to Indore when it collided with a truck moving ahead of it. The impact triggered a fire in both vehicles, sparking panic among passengers. The injured were shifted to the district hospital in Dausa and are stated to be stable. One of those killed due to head injuries has been identified as Dharmendra, while the identities of the remaining deceased are being ascertained. Firefighters, police and local administration personnel carried out rescue operations after bringing the blaze under control.
Uttar Pradesh Accident: Five Dead in Unnao
In a separate accident in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district, five people, including two children, were killed and eight others injured after a private sleeper bus collided with an Ertiga car and fell off the Agra-Lucknow Expressway around 4.30 am near Devkhari village under the Bangarmau police station area.
Police said the bus, travelling from Haryana to Bihar, collided with the car coming from the opposite direction. Following the impact, the bus broke through the expressway railing and plunged onto the road below, while the car was extensively damaged. The deceased were identified as Dhunmun (60), Anju (40), Divya (6), Amrita (13) and the car driver Vinod (45). Four other occupants of the car and four bus passengers sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital.
Bangarmau Circle Officer Harsh Modi said preliminary investigation suggests the bus driver may have dozed off before the crash, though the exact cause is under investigation. Police and district officials in both states supervised rescue operations and shifted the injured to hospitals while investigations into the accidents are underway.
