SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday expressed grief over the loss of nine lives in a bus fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.
In a post on X, Abdullah expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the accident and wished those injured a swift and complete recovery.
Nine passengers were burnt to death after a bus travelling from Delhi to Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh caught fire late Wednesday night, officials said.
The bus, carrying 35 passengers, caught fire near the 33-km milestone of the Yamuna Expressway in the Jewar police station area around 11.20 pm.
More than 20 passengers were rescued during the operation, while nine people were found dead inside the bus, apparently due to burns or suffocation, Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Kumar said.
The driver and conductor of the bus have been arrested in connection with the incident. According to the FIR, they allegedly refused to stop the vehicle despite passengers alerting them about a burning smell.
The FIR, registered on the complaint of passenger Suneel Kumar, alleged that the driver dismissed the warning and continued driving. It also claimed that the driver and conductor were smoking in the cabin before flames erupted near the driver’s seat.
As the fire spread rapidly and smoke filled the bus, passengers rushed to escape. Several managed to jump out, while others remained trapped inside.
Officials said a preliminary investigation indicated that a spark or blast in the air-conditioning system may have caused the fire, although another official attributed the blaze to a short circuit.
Fire tenders and police teams reached the spot after receiving information and brought the blaze under control. The burnt-out bus was later removed from the expressway with the help of a crane.
Several injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Jewar. One woman remained hospitalised and was undergoing treatment, officials said. The bodies of the deceased were sent to a mortuary, while police were making efforts to establish their identities.
An FIR has been registered at the Jewar police station under relevant sections of law, police said.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed condolences over the deaths.
Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 each for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
An injured passenger, Rekha, who was travelling with her husband, recalled the panic inside the bus and said she fell while trying to escape and was trampled by other passengers rushing to safety.
