As many as 20 people were feared killed after a bus carrying at least 45 passengers burst into flames upon collision with a truck in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district on Friday night. Police said 25 passengers were rescued from the burning bus after the mishap at Dewar Marg.
According to initial ground reports, passengers were unable to escape the fire as they were sleeping, and doors and windows were shut.
“A bus travelling from Kannauj to Jaipur collided with a truck at Dewar Marg in Kannauj, following which both went up in flames. Locals rushed to the spot and rescued several people from the bus,” Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal told the news agency ANI on Saturday.
Police said the 25 passengers rescued from the bus were either receiving treatment at local hospitals or had been discharged.
“However, the remaining 20 people are unaccounted for. The bodies are badly burned, their bones are scattered, so only a DNA test by the forensic team will determine the death toll,” the IG said.
Kannauj MP Subrata Pathak, who visited the spot, said at least 20 people had died in the fire and that several others had been injured.
Earlier, Kannauj District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said several people had reportedly escaped from the bus, but didn’t go to a hospital and went home instead.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences and announced that the families of the deceased would receive Rs 2 lakh each. The grievously injured will receive Rs 50,000 each.
The CM also asked the district magistrate for a report on the incident.
