Three people were killed and around 40 injured after a passenger bus travelling from Rajasthan to Bihar overturned and plunged into a nearly 40-foot-deep gorge on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway early Monday, with several children among those rescued from the wreckage.
The crash took place near Zero Point in the Para police station area, around 30 km from Lucknow district headquarters. The bus, bearing Bihar registration number BR 28 P 4332, was travelling from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan to Chhapra in Bihar and was carrying passengers returning home for the Chhath festival.
According to preliminary information cited by police, a tyre burst may have caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The bus then overturned and fell into the gorge. Police said the exact cause of the accident was still being ascertained.
A large rescue operation was launched after the incident, involving local police, fire brigade personnel and two teams of the State Disaster Response Force. More than 50 police personnel were deployed at the site. Fire tenders from Alambagh, a rescue vehicle from Sarojini Nagar and a Multi-Disaster Rescue Vehicle from Hazratganj were also used in the operation.
SDRF personnel entered the mangled bus and removed trapped passengers through its windows. Several injured people, including young children, were carried out on stretchers and taken to ambulances. The injured were transported to Lok Bandhu Hospital and the King George’s Medical University Trauma Centre in Lucknow.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Jitendra Kumar said 29 passengers were shifted to Lok Bandhu Hospital and 13 to KGMU during the initial hospital allocation. Lucknow Police Commissioner Tarun Gauba visited the injured at the hospital and reviewed their treatment and medical condition. Senior police and administrative officials also reached the accident site to oversee the rescue and evacuation operation.
The passengers reportedly included people from Bihar districts such as Chhapra, Gopalganj, Vaishali and Begusarai, as well as Uttar Pradesh districts including Maharajganj, Deoria and Azamgarh. The bus was reportedly operated by Shandilya Tour and Travels, and passengers had paid around Rs 4,800 for the journey.
One of the deceased was identified as Shankar Rajak, 63, from Garhara in Begusarai, Bihar. Authorities were working to establish the identities of the other victims. The report identified several injured passengers, including children and adults from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the accident and directed senior officials to expedite rescue and relief operations. He instructed the administration to ensure timely medical treatment, maintain contact with the families of those affected and provide assistance. Rescue, medical care and identification efforts continued after the passengers were evacuated from the site.
