Shahjahanpur/Lucknow: In a tragic accident in Shahjahanpur on Saturday night, a Volvo bus carrying pilgrims to Purnagiri was hit by a gravel-laden dumper, resulting in the deaths of 12 people, including six women and three children, and injuring between 20 to 25 others, police reported. The accident occurred when the dumper collided with the parked bus outside a dhaba, overturning it and spilling gravel inside. The injured were initially taken to a Community Health Center (CHC) and later referred to the Government Medical College for further treatment. Many of the injured are in critical condition.
Shahjahanpur SP Ashok Kumar Meena stated: “Around 11 pm, we received information about a truck colliding with a parked bus in the Khutar police station area.
The bus was en route to Purnagiri, with some devotees inside and others eating at a dhaba. The truck lost control and overturned onto the bus, resulting in 12 fatalities and over 20 injuries.”
According to Meena, 10 passengers identified as Sudhanshu (7), Aditya (8), Ajit (15), Rohini (20), Pramod (30), Seema (30), Suman Devi (36), Ramgopal (48), Shiv Shankar (48), and Chutki (50) died on the spot, while Sonavati (45) and Bindra (50) succumbed during treatment.
Local police and villagers rescued some of the passengers from inside the bus.
Approximately 80 residents from the villages of Bada Jatha and Chhota Jatha in the Kamlapur police station area of Sitapur had embarked on a pilgrimage to Purnagiri in the Volvo bus. They stopped for dinner at a dhaba on Khutar-Gola road. Around 10:30 pm, the dumper travelling from Khutar towards Gola collided with the parked bus and overturned, spilling gravel and causing chaos. The accident is believed to have been caused by the dumper driver falling asleep at the wheel. The driver fled the scene and is currently being sought by authorities.
Anil Kumar, a passenger on the bus, recounted that they had travelled from their village to Sidhauli town of Sitapur with their own resources. The bus departed for Purnagiri from Sidhauli with about 75 to 80 passengers. Rupesh Kumar, who organises an annual bus trip to Purnagiri, had arranged the bus.
At around 10 pm, the bus stopped at a dhaba in Khutar. Some passengers disembarked to eat while others stayed on the bus. A speeding dumper filled with gravel approached Khutar, veering off to the left and crashing into the middle part of the bus. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and directed the district administration to ensure the injured are provided proper treatment.