A passenger bus caught fire after colliding with a truck on National Highway 24 in Bareilly at around 1 am on Monday night. At least 22 people were charred to death in the incident while several others were injured. Injured were rushed to nearby hospitals and most of them are said to be in a critical condition.
Believed to be of Delhi Roadways, the passenger bus was heading towards Gonda in central Uttar Pradesh. The accident took place on an under-construction stretch of the highway between Bareilly and Shahjahanpur.
Reportedly, the bus driver was driving on the wrong side of the road which caused the accident.
As per witnesses, the bus caught fire seconds after colliding with truck giving no time for commuters to evacuate. A number of passengers were asleep when the accident happened. However, some managed to escape through the windows.
“We have recovered charred remains of around 10 passengers and our teams are trying to locate others,” said the SSP. “At least 20 other passengers who managed to escape have been admitted in hospital,” senior superintendent of Police (SSP) of Bareilly Joginder Kumar said, reported HT.
