Six killed, 15 injured as bus rams SUV on Agra expressway

KANPUR: Six people were killed and 15 others injured after a bus crashed into an SUV on Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Bilhaur area of Kanpur on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
The Bihar State Road Transport Corporation Volvo bus, carrying 40 passengers, was heading towards Muzaffarpur from Ghaziabad.
Around 12.30am, its driver Jitendra Singh (38) lost control over the vehicle and it crossed onto another lane after hitting a divider. It crashed into the speeding SUV heading towards Agra from Lucknow, police said.
The impact killed Singh as well as all five occupants of the SUV on the spot. The deceased were identified as Sunny (30), Mukesh (40), Ram Shankar (48), Surjit (45) and Vikram (40).
"While four SUV occupants were residents of Delhi, one hailed from Pratapgarh in UP. About 15 passengers of the bus who were injured are under treatment in nearby hospitals including Bilhaur CHC," said Bilhaur circle officer Devendra Mishra.
Locals from nearby villages rushed for rescue work soon after the accident. They were later joined by the expressway rescue team and local police.
The families of those killed have been informed. The SUV belongs to one Sunita Singh of Delhi," he added.
Eyewitnesses said that the collision was such that none of the occupants of the SUV could survive despite their airbags opening. Heavy-duty gas cutters were brought to extricate bodies trapped in the mangled vehicle. "The other passengers were sent to their destination by another bus," said SP (rural) Pradyumna Singh.
He also said that it was possible the driver of the bus fell asleep at the wheel. As a result of that, the bus crossed into another lane.
Suniti, a bus passenger, said she had boarded the bus around 4.30pm on Monday from Ghaziabad.
"When the mishap occurred, some locals came to our rescue. Later, they were joined by expressway rescue personnel and local police," she said.
"I was sleeping at the time of the accident but woke up to a loud noise. There were loud shrieks of passengers and cries for help," said Vishwajeet, a painter.