29 died when a bus skidded off Yamuna Expressway and fell into a drain
Highlights
- Twenty-nine people were killed in the Yamuna Expressway accident
- The bus skidded off the expressway and fell 50 feet into a large drain
- The double decker bus was going from Lucknow to Delhi
"We were all in deep sleep when the bus toppled twice before falling in the nallah (drain). Screams were heard for about a minute after which there was silence. Some passengers climbed on top of bodies to make their way out of the bus," said Rishi Yadav, a survivor of the bus accident on the Yamuna Expressway in which 29 people were reported killed on Monday morning.
Mr Yadav, a resident of Barabanki, is currently undergoing treatment at Agra's Sri Krishna Hospital.
The double-decker bus with 53 passengers on board was on its way to Delhi from Lucknow when it hit a divider and fell into the 40-feet-deep gap between two flyovers on the Yamuna Expressway near milestone 161 (Jharnanallah) under Etmadpur police jurisdiction of Agra district at around 4.15 am.
"The bus was speeding and the driver may have dozed off," Agra District Magistrate Ravi Kumar said.
Police said there were no skid marks on the road. Some of the survivors too said the bus was being driven at a speed of about 100 kmph. The impact of the accident was such that one of its tyres burst after which the bus fell into the drain.
Police reports said that 20 passengers had been rescued and efforts were on to rescue the rest. Of the 30 dead, 19 have been identified. The injured have been admitted in various hospitals. Two of the injured are in coma and are yet to be identified.
"We are trying to identify all the victims. We will share, once we have all the details," said a senior police official in Agra, Bablu Kumar.
Ariba Khan's family lost its lone earner. "She used to work in Navi Mumbai and was always fond of giving surprises. She had come home on June 10 after her father had a heart attack. Her siblings are younger than her," said her mother crying outside the mortuary.
The scene outside the mortuary was heart-wrenching -- weeping relatives and family members showing pictures and trying to locate their loved ones. Police officials running around with pictures of unidentified deceased on their mobile phones to ascertain if their relatives had come.
Avinash Awasthi belonged to Lucknow and worked as a clerk in Greater Noida. "He had come to Lucknow on July 4 for his house warming ceremony and was on his way back to join his office from Monday. He is survived by his parents and a brother," said his relative.