Bus carrying 43 passengers rams into truck in Kannauj, catches fire; several dead

New Delhi: Several people are feared dead in an accident in Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj where a bus collided with a truck and caught fire. The incident took place on Friday night at Dewar Marg in Kannauj district while the bus was en-route to Jaipur. According to police, at least 15-20 people are feared dead in the mishap. However, an official figure on the number of casualties is yet to come out. 

The identities of the victim are yet to be ascertained.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his gried on the incident and announced an ex-gratia for the families of those killed in the incident. CM Adityanath said that the state government has decided to provide a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each as compensation to the injured. 

The rescue operation was carried out late night and the Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured. As many as 15 firetenders were also rushed to the spot to carry out the rescue work, said a report. 

"The entire district administration is at the spot and is involved in the rescue operation. So far 21 injured have been taken to hospital. Fire is under control. It isn't yet clear that how many lives were claimed in the incident," ANI quoted the CM as saying. The Chief Minister said that he has asked state minister Ram Naresh Agnihotri to visit the spot and sought a report of the incident from the District Magistrate.

According to Kannauj District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar, at least 43 people were travelling in the bus and as many as 21 injured have been shifted to a hospital and have been given medical treatment. He added that the fire was brought under the control and at least 25 passengers were rescued, at the time of the filing of the report. 

"There is also input that some people had managed to escape from the bus but did not get admitted to the hospital. We have called a forensics team. They will assess the death toll," Kumar told reporters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolence over the incident and tweeted, "Sad to hear about the horrific road accident in Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj. Many people lost their lives in the accident. I express my condolences to relatives of those who lost their lives, and wish the injured get well soon."