18 laborers, sleeping on road, killed in accident in UP
At least 18 people were killed and several others got injured in a devastating road accident in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district last night. Those who lost their lives were sleeping on the road after the bus, that they had been traveling in, broke down on the Lucknow-Ayodhya national highway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have condoled the deaths.
Accident took place around 1:30 am on Wednesday
The accident took place around 1:30 am on Wednesday, as a truck rammed into the stationary bus from behind. This led to the bus moving forward and crushing those sleeping in front of it. There were a total of 140 people traveling in the double-decker bus, all laborers from Punjab and Haryana going to Bihar, according to a report by India Today.
Injured were rushed to a local hospital
Police then reached the spot and began a rescue operation. As many as 19 passengers were severely wounded in the accident, UP Police officials said, according to Hindustan Times. All the injured were immediately rushed to a local hospital for treatment. Police has launched a probe and is currently in the process of registering a case, reports say.
The bus broke down around 8 pm, survivor says
"At around 8 pm, the bus broke down and the driver informed us that the repair work will take time. Many of us came out of the bus. A few were sleeping on the road," Bharat, a survivor, was quoted as saying by NDTV.
PM Modi expresses grief; ex-gratia compensation announced
PM Modi has expressed grief over the incident. "Deeply saddened by the news of road accident in Barabanki, UP," he tweeted this morning. He said he had spoken to CM Adityanath about the matter. Meanwhile, his office announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 each for the injured.
'Deeply pained,' tweeted President Kovind
Separately, President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, "Deeply pained by the news of the untimely death of many people in a road accident in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. In this hour of grief, I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families."
