Balrampur (Uttar Pradesh).Late Monday night, such a heart-wrenching accident happened in Balrampur, UP that everyone was stunned. In the horrific collision between a private bus going from Sunauli to Delhi and a truck laden with warm clothes, 3 people were burnt to death, while 24 passengers were seriously injured. The condition of 6 of these still remains critical.
Most of the passengers killed in the accident were citizens of Nepal. The bus (number: UP 22 AT 0245) was going from Sunauli on Nepal border towards Delhi. There were about 50-55 passengers in the bus. The saddest thing is that the driver and conductor of the bus are still missing. Police is searching for them.
At around 2.30 in the night, a speeding truck (number: UP 21 DT 5237) hit the bus hard on Phulwariya bypass of Kotwali Dehat police station area. The collision was so severe that the bus dragged on the road for about 100 meters and collided with a high tension electric pole. The pillar broke and fell on the bus. This caused a short circuit and within a moment the bus became a ball of fire.
The truck also caught fire because it was loaded with warm clothes (woolen). Within no time both the vehicles started burning.
The accident happened late on Monday night between 2:30 and 3:00 am. The place is – Phulwaria Bypass of Balrampur district, which falls on NH-730. This area is about 80 km away from Nepal border.
As soon as the fire broke out, there was chaos inside the bus. The doors were jammed. The passengers kept screaming. Many people showed courage and jumped out of the bus, breaking the glass. Those who lost their arms and legs also somehow crawled out.
The passengers who came out immediately called the police control room and fire brigade. 3 fire tenders reached the spot. The firemen first tried to control the fire, then cut the bus with a cutter and rescued the trapped people.
According to eyewitnesses, most of the passengers somehow came out, but three people were badly trapped inside the bus. When the fire was extinguished, three burnt bodies were recovered from the bus. Two of these bodies were so burnt that it was difficult to identify them. It is believed that these people were trapped under the seat or in the back part and could not get out.
24 injured were immediately taken to District Hospital Balrampur. Seeing the condition of 6 people from there very serious, they have been referred to Bahraich Medical College. The rest are undergoing treatment. Most complain of burns, broken bones and deep wounds.
SP Balrampur said, “The accident is very painful. Both the vehicles have been taken into custody. The truck driver is absconding from the spot, search is on for him. The bodies will be handed over to the relatives after post-mortem. Complete investigation is being done.”
