A devastating accident occurred early Tuesday on the Balrampur–Gonda road in Uttar Pradesh when a bus collided with a truck, hit an electricity pole, and burst into flames, leaving three passengers dead and over two dozen injured, police confirmed.
The incident took place around 2 am as the bus was traveling from the Sonauli border toward Delhi. Several Nepalese nationals were on board, though the exact passenger count remains unclear.
According to Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar, the bus caught fire after the collision, likely due to the fuel tank bursting. Rescue workers retrieved three bodies from the charred vehicle, while 15 passengers were pulled out alive.
District Magistrate Vipin Jain said that six critically injured passengers were shifted to a Lucknow hospital, while those with minor injuries are being sent to Nepal and Delhi.
A survivor, Shiv Bahadur, recounted the horrifying moment:
“We started from the Sonauli border for Delhi with more than 40 Nepalese passengers. Around 2 am, near the Phulwaria bypass, a truck coming from the overbridge rammed into us. The impact dragged the bus for several metres before it hit an electric pole and exploded.”
He added that passengers smashed windows and doors to escape as the bus was engulfed in flames.
“I somehow managed to save my wife and our two-year-old daughter. The locals and police saved many lives—without their quick response, more people would have been burnt alive,” he said.
Locals rushed to the scene immediately, followed by police and rescue teams who transported the injured to hospitals. An investigation into the accident is underway.
