At least nine passengers were killed after a sleeper bus carrying around 35 people caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida late Wednesday night, the police said.
The police added 20 passengers were rescued safely.
According to the police sources, the accident happened at around 11 pm when the bus was near Jewar, Gautam Buddh Nagar district.
Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Kumar told PTI, 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.
The fire quickly engulfed the bus, forcing several passengers to escape through the windows.
Following a distress call, fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Police and fire personnel worked through the night to bring the blaze under control and rescue passengers.
More than 20 passengers were rescued safely, Kumar said. However, when police and fire personnel entered the smoke-filled bus, they found nine people dead inside. The victims appeared to have died from burns or suffocation, he added.
Preliminary inquiry suggests that a spark or blast in the bus’s air-conditioning system may have ignited engine lubricant oil, causing the fire to spread rapidly, according to the fire officer.
Police are now working to establish the identities of the nine deceased.
The bus driver and conductor have been arrested, while Jewar police have registered a case against them under provisions related to culpable homicide.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the victims' families and directed officials to ensure proper treatment for the injured.
President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday condoled the the loss of lives in the bus fire. She also prayed for the swift recovery of those injured in the accident.
"The news of the deaths of people in a fire that broke out in a bus on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh is extremely painful. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of those injured in this accident," President Murmu said in a post on X in Hindi.
