Major road mishap claims 18 lives in UP’s Barabanki

Barabanki, Jul 28 (UNI) At least 18 passengers of a private double decker bus were killed and 24 others injured in a bus-truck collision on Lucknow-Ayodhya highway in Barabanki district, the police said on Wednesday.

The accident happened on late Tuesday at around 0200 hrs when a speeding truck hit a stationary bus carrying around 115 passengers.

The bus was parked as its axle was broken at around midnight. The impact of the collision was so strong that 16 people died on the spot while two other succumbed to their injuries in a nearby hospital.

Superintendent of Police Yamuna Prasad informed that the injured have admitted to the hospital.

The ill fated bus was on its way to Bihar from Haryana and was mostly carrying labourers that were returning back to their native places.

The police said several passengers were sleeping under the bus at the time of the accident and they suffered the most casualties.

The driver of the truck escaped after the incident. Efforts were on to identify the victims, the police added.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the horrific accident. He has directed the district authorities to provide adequate treatment to the injured and compensation to the deceased.

UNI