BIJNOR: Forty passengers had a providential escape on Saturday when the bus in which they were travelling got stuck in the swirling waters of the Kotawali river that overflowed its banks and flooded a causeway on the road to Haridwar.
JCB machines were brought in to rescue the passengers travelling from Roopediha to Haridwar on an Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus.
The bus was also pulled out, Najibabad police Circle Officer (CO) Gajendra Singh said.
Dramatic visuals from the Mandawali area on the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand road showed the bus marooned as fast flowing water raged around it, covering the wheels and almost reaching the windows.
As people watched from a nearby bridge, the strong currents eddied and rose, threatening to topple the vehicle. The passengers were seen coming out from the bus windows and sitting in an excavator bucket.