Sambhal: More than 20 passengers were injured early on Wednesday when an overcrowded double-decker sleeper bus travelling from Punjab and Haryana to Bihar overturned on the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district, ANI reported, citing officials.
Source: ANI via LatestLY
The bus was carrying nearly 150 to 200 passengers, far beyond its legal capacity, according to ANI. Zee News, reporting from Sambhal, put the number on board at more than 150 and said most were migrant workers and their families travelling home to Bihar's Purnia, Darbhanga, Supaul and Sitamarhi districts for Diwali and Chhath Puja. The bus had started from Patiala in Punjab and was passing via Ambala in Haryana.
Source: Zee News
Crash in the early hours
Surviving passengers told ANI the accident took place between 4:30 am and 5:30 am. ANI placed the crash near the Pawasa area of the expressway, while Zee News reported it in the Khirni area. Passengers alleged the bus was travelling at high speed and that the driver appeared to have fallen asleep, or was driving under the influence of alcohol — allegations that have not been established. The bus swayed, skidded off the carriageway into soft roadside soil and flipped onto its side, passengers said.
Mukesh Kumar, a passenger from Supaul who had boarded at Ambala, told ANI: "The driver was speeding and lost control. The bus wobbled violently twice before crashing into the roadside on the third wobble. It was packed like a train compartment with over 150 people. We had to smash the windowpanes to crawl out." Another passenger, Farzana Parveen, who was travelling to Darbhanga, also alleged negligence by the driver.
Rescue and hospital treatment
Local administration and emergency teams reached the spot soon after the crash, and trapped passengers, including women and children, were pulled out after emergency windows were smashed, ANI said. Zee News reported that the inspector-in-charge, Rajiv Kumar Malik, reached the scene with a police force and, with the help of local residents, evacuated the passengers trapped inside the bus.
The injured were taken by ambulance to Sambhal District Hospital. Its Chief Medical Superintendent, Dr Rajendra Saini, told ANI that more than 20 injured people from the expressway accident had been admitted, that all were receiving emergency care under continuous observation, and that adequate doctors and medical supplies had been deployed. Zee News put the injured figure at more than 25.
Probe into cause under way
The wrecked bus was removed from the expressway with a crane and traffic was restored, Zee News reported. Police are investigating the actual cause of the crash, including whether the passengers' allegations are correct, the channel said. ANI reported that police had registered a case to probe allegations of overloading and negligent driving. No deaths were reported in either account.