Three Killed, Dozens Injured in Pre-Dawn Horror Crash
A devastating road accident in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur district has resulted in three fatalities and left twenty-four people injured, six of them critically. The tragedy unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday when a private passenger bus caught fire after a violent head-on collision with a speeding truck on the Phulwaria bypass.
The Sequence of a Catastrophe
According to police reports, the bus, registered as UP 22 AT 0245 and carrying 45 passengers, was en route from Sonauli to Delhi and headed towards Gonda. The incident occurred around 2:30 am. A truck with registration UP 21 DT 5237, coming at high speed from the direction of the Phulwaria overbridge, rammed directly into the bus at the middle of an intersection.
The force of the impact was so severe that it dragged the bus for nearly 100 metres before it crashed into a high-tension electricity pole and a transformer. This collision caused the pole to snap and fall onto the bus, triggering a massive short circuit. Within moments, the vehicle was engulfed in flames, turning into a fireball.
Desperate Escape and Rescue Efforts
Eyewitness accounts paint a picture of sheer panic as passengers, many already suffering from burns, smashed windows to escape the inferno. Desperate cries for help filled the dark night as people jumped from the burning bus. Some survivors managed to alert local residents, who rushed to the spot to assist the injured before police and fire brigade teams arrived.
Firefighters battled the intense blaze for nearly six hours before finally bringing it under control. The aftermath revealed the scale of the tragedy: three bodies were recovered from the gutted remains of the bus, with two burnt beyond recognition. Twenty-four injured passengers were initially rushed to the district hospital. Given the severity of their burns, five critical victims—Saraswati Pandel (24), Dhan Kumari (60), Anil (16), Diwakar Nyupane (42), and Vishnu Maya (52)—were referred to Bahraich Medical College for advanced care.
Investigation and Local Concerns
Balrampur Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar stated that preliminary findings indicate the fire erupted due to damage to the bus's fuel tank upon collision. "A detailed investigation is underway. Rescue operations were carried out promptly," he said. Notably, the driver and cleaner of the bus remain untraceable following the accident.
The incident has reignited concerns among local residents about road safety at that particular spot. They have long claimed the intersection is accident-prone and have repeatedly demanded the construction of a properly designed crossing to prevent such disasters. The charred skeleton of the bus and the personal belongings scattered across the road stood as a grim reminder of the lives lost and altered in the early morning tragedy. Most passengers on board were reported to be Nepalese nationals travelling to the national capital.
