17 injured, 2 critical after bus-truck collision in UP

LUCKNOW: Seventeen passengers were injured, two of them critically, after a Uttar Pradesh Roadways bus collided head-on with a truck on the Bahraich-Sitapur route in the early hours of Wednesday.

The accident took place near Gadamaar village under the Hardi police station area, triggering a major rescue operation by police and emergency services.

According to officials, the crash occurred at around 1 am when a Roadways bus bearing registration number UP 78 HN 3836, travelling from Lucknow to Rupaidiha, collided with a truck travelling from Bahraich towards Sitapur. The impact left several passengers injured and caused panic among those on board.

After receiving information about the accident, Hardi Station House Officer (SHO) Alok Singh rushed to the spot along with a police team. Senior officers were immediately informed, following which Superintendent of Police (SP) Vishwajeet Srivastava and Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Durga Prasad Tiwari also reached the site to oversee rescue and relief operations.

Police personnel, assisted by ambulance teams, evacuated the injured passengers from the damaged bus and shifted them to the district hospital for treatment. Officials said the timely response by police and emergency services ensured that all the injured received medical attention without delay.

The injured passengers were identified as Hansraj, Avdhesh Kumar, Pappu, Sonu Pal, Ramkali, Muneshwar, Subedar, Salik, Satyadev, Bechan, Lavlesh, Shivam, Rakesh, Pramod, Mahendra, Nirmala and Aditya.

Doctors at the district hospital said that while most passengers suffered minor to moderate injuries, the condition of Pappu and Satyadev was serious. Both were referred to a higher medical facility in Lucknow later in the night for advanced treatment.

SP Vishwajeet Srivastava later visited the district hospital along with senior officials and reviewed the condition of the injured passengers. He interacted with doctors and directed hospital authorities to ensure proper treatment and monitoring of all the victims.

Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances that led to the collision. Preliminary findings suggest that the accident occurred during late-night travel on the busy Bahraich-Sitapur highway, although the exact cause of the crash is yet to be determined.