A horrific road accident on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district on Friday afternoon has left eight people dead and forty others injured. The incident has sparked a wave of grief, with the state and central governments announcing immediate assistance to the victims.
According to police reports, the accident occurred when a double-decker bus, traveling from Lucknow to Delhi, collided with a tanker watering plants along the central divider of the expressway. The crash made both vehicles overturn after striking the divider, which proved to be devastating. The collision caused multiple deaths and serious injuries.
Survivors Blame Driver Fatigue For Crash
Eyewitnesses and survivors from the bus reported that probably the driver dozed off behind the wheel, which resulted in the vehicle losing control and crashing into the tanker. Local residents, who run to the scene to rescue, managed to break the windows of the bus and save the passengers trapped inside the bus.
Swatantra Dev Singh, the Uttar Pradesh water resources minister, was traveling on the expressway when he witnessed the disaster. He immediately stopped his convoy and offered assistance, ensuring that the injured were promptly transported to nearby medical facilities. Emergency teams, including UPEIDA officials and local police, arrived quickly to coordinate the rescue and recovery operations.
Wounded people were evacuated to the hospital from Tirwa, Kannauj, and Saifai in Etawah. District administration, led by District Magistrate Shubhrant Kumar Shukla and SP Amit Kumar Anand visited the site to monitor relief work.
District officials said the victims were five passengers, one female, and the driver of the bus. The sad event made the people feel so emotional as efforts had to be taken to comfort the victims’ families.
Government Response And Compensation
The central government has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the families of the deceased. Compensation of Rs 50,000 will be given to those who sustained injuries. This financial support is aimed at helping the victims and their families during this difficult time.
Minister Swatantra Dev Singh has asked the District Magistrate to conduct a thorough inquiry into the cause of the accident. The investigation will check if any other factor had led to the crash, and the authorities are expected to take necessary steps to prevent such incidents in the future.
ALSO READ | India Demands Strict Action Against Jaish Chief Masood Azhar, Accuses Pakistan Of Duplicity
