Noida, Sept 24: Nine passengers were burnt to death when a bus on its way from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, officials said on Thursday.
The bus driver and conductor have been arrested in connection with the incident that occurred late Wednesday night. They allegedly refused to stop the bus despite being alerted about a burning smell and told passengers, “Die if you want to, but we won’t stop the bus,” according to the FIR.
As the flames erupted and smoke began to fill the bus, which was carrying 35 passengers, a frantic rush to find a way out followed. The driver and the conductor managed to flee.
The officials said that according to preliminary investigation, the fire might have been caused by a spark or blast in the air-conditioning system of the bus.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Kumar said the bus, bearing registration number BR32PA8647, was travelling from Kashmere Gate in New Delhi towards Mahoba when it caught fire near the 33-km milestone on the expressway in the Jewar police station area.
“On receiving information, police officials, along with local police personnel, a rescue tender, a fire tender stationed at the Jewar toll plaza and four other fire tenders immediately reached the spot and doused the fire,” Kumar said.
“More than 20 passengers were rescued safely during the operation. When the police and fire service personnel entered the bus amid the smoke, nine people were found dead inside, apparently due to burns or suffocation,” he added.
Kumar said a preliminary investigation indicated that a spark or blast in the air-conditioning system of the bus might have caused the engine lubricant oil to catch fire, following which the blaze spread rapidly.
Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Ajeet Kumar Singh told reporters that the incident occurred around 11:20 pm on Wednesday.
“The fire was caused by a short circuit. There were 35 passengers in the bus and nine people lost their lives in the incident. After receiving first aid, the injured were transported to Mahoba in a special vehicle,” he said.
“There were approximately 15 people who were sent to Mahoba in a special vehicle, while some left in private vehicles. One woman remains hospitalised and is undergoing treatment at Arogya Hospital,” he added.
Singh said the bodies have been sent to a mortuary.
Police said they are making efforts to identify the nine deceased.
“A case has been registered under relevant sections and the driver and conductor have been taken into custody,” police said in a statement.
The FIR was registered at the Jewar police station on a complaint by a passenger, Suneel Kumar, a resident of Hamirpur district.
Kumar said he boarded the Raj Kalpana Travels bus from Kashmere Gate in Delhi around 9 pm on Wednesday. The bus reached the 33-km mark on the Yamuna Expressway around 11.30 pm when passengers noticed a burning smell emanating from the driver’s cabin.
“Despite being alerted, the driver dismissed the situation and said it was nothing unusual. He did not stop to inspect the vehicle,” he claimed.
“The driver and the conductor continued smoking bidis and cigarettes in the cabin. Shortly afterwards, flames erupted near the driver’s seat,” he claimed.
By the time the bus stopped, the fire had spread and the vehicle was filled with smoke, the complaint stated.
Kumar said he and several other passengers managed to jump out, while some remained trapped inside.
Many passengers suffered burns and were taken to Kailash Hospital in Jewar for treatment, where the complainant was informed that nine people had been declared dead, the FIR said.
The complaint alleged that the driver and the conductor’s “deliberate, gross negligence, rashness and reckless disregard” for passenger safety resulted in the deaths.
In the morning, a crane removed the burnt carcass of the bus from the expressway.
Recounting the horror, an injured passenger, Rekha, who was travelling with her husband, told reporters that she fell while trying to get out of the bus and was trampled.
“The bus was stopped and passengers were jumping out of the bus to save themselves. I managed to escape and fell on the road,” said Rekha, lying on a hospital bed with her forehead and right hand bandaged. (PTI)
