Series of road accidents across UP claims 22 lives
Lucknow: A string of tragic accidents across Uttar Pradesh on Thursday and Friday has claimed 22 lives and left several others critically injured. The incidents, involving wedding parties, pilgrims, and overloaded vehicles, highlight the deadly consequences of overspeeding, alcohol consumption, and driver fatigue.
On Friday afternoon, a high-speed sleeper bus travelling from Lucknow to Delhi overturned near kilometre marker 140 on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Kannauj, killing eight passengers and injuring over 40. Eyewitnesses reported that the driver appeared to have dozed off, causing the bus to lose control and collide with a water tanker on the divider. The bus overturned, leading to panic among passengers.
Residents, along with police and rescue teams, broke the bus’s windows to extricate those trapped inside. The injured were rushed to hospitals in Saifai, Tirva, and Saurikh for treatment.
In another incident on the Pilibhit-Tanakpur Highway near Neuria, six people were killed, and four others sustained critical injuries when a speeding Ertiga carrying 11 passengers crashed into a tree. The victims, returning from a wedding in Pilibhit, were heading back to Khatima in Uttarakhand. The car lost control around midnight and overturned into a ditch. Rescue operations were hindered due to the vehicle’s mangled condition.
In Mahoba, three people died, and four were injured when a Celerio carrying seven passengers crashed into a divider on the Jhansi-Mirzapur Highway near Sugira village. The victims were on their way to a wedding in Ghutai village.
Investigations revealed that the vehicle was travelling at 130 km/h, and alcohol consumption was a contributing factor. Bottles of alcohol were found in the car, and the smell of liquor was evident at the crash site.
A Bolero carrying 11 pilgrims collided with a truck on the Jhansi-Mirzapur Highway near Raipura early Friday, killing five and injuring six, three critically. The crash was caused by driver fatigue. The victims were returning to Chhatarpur from Prayagraj. The incidents have raised concerns over road safety, with overspeeding, overloading, alcohol, and fatigue identified as key factors.
