Balrampur (UP), Dec 2 (PTI) A bus collided with a truck and then crashed into an electricity pole and caught fire on the Balrampur-Gonda road here early Tuesday, leaving three passengers dead and over two dozens injured, police said.
The incident took place around 2 am when the bus was going to Delhi from Sonauli border. Some Nepalese nationals were among the passengers. However, the exact number of those on board was not immediately clear Prima facie the fuel tank of the bus caught fire due to the collision, Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar said.
Three bodies were recovered from the bus while 15 people were rescued, he said.
Among the injured, condition of six was stated to be critical and they have been rushed to a Lucknow hospital, District Magistrate Vipin Jain said.
Jain said those who sustained minor injuries are being sent to Nepal and Delhi.
Shiv Bahadur, a bus passenger who survived the accident, said, “We had departed from the Sonauli border for Delhi. There were more than 40 Nepalese passengers on board. Around 2 am, when the bus was passing near the Phulwaria bypass intersection in Balrampur, a truck coming from the direction of the overbridge rammed into it.” The impact was so severe that the bus was dragged for several metres before crashing into an electric pole, he said.
“The moment it hit, there was a loud explosion and the bus caught fire.
“People began breaking doors and windows to escape. We also ran. I somehow risked my life to pull out my wife, Purnima, and our two-year-old daughter, Shivangi,” he said.
Meanwhile, locals rushed to the spot, and the police arrived soon after.
“They rescued us and took us to the hospital by ambulance.Three passengers remained trapped inside the bus and could not be saved. It was a terrifying night for all of us. If we did not get timely help from the people and the police, many more would have been burnt alive,” he added. PTI COR ABN DV
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