9 dead in UP bus fire; driver was smoking, ignored burning smell, say passengers

Nine people were killed after a Delhi-Mahoba sleeper bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida around 11:30 pm. Both the driver and conductor of the bus, Pawan and Yogesh, have been detained by police following the incident.

In Short

• Fire broke out near bus driver's seat on Yamuna Expressway
• Cops say driver ignored burning smell, refused to stop bus
• Passengers jump out of burning bus amid chaos, thick smoke

A moving sleeper bus carrying around 30-35 passengers caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida late Wednesday night, killing nine people, including one woman and eight men. The blaze engulfed the bus within minutes, leaving passengers scrambling to escape through thick smoke, with some jumping out of the moving vehicle to save their lives.

The bus was travelling from Delhi to UP's Mahoba when the fire broke out at around 11:30 pm last night. A fire department team reached the spot after receiving information about the incident and brought the blaze under control.

ADM Ajit Singh said the fire was caused by a short circuit.

Both the driver and conductor of the bus, Pawan and Yogesh, have been detained by police following the incident. The owner of the bus is from Madhya Pradesh.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed distress over the loss of lives in the bus fire in Greater Noida and offered condolences to the families of those who died.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person. The injured will be given Rs 50,000 each.

DRIVER REFUSED TO STOP BUS, SMOKED CIGARETTES: FIR

India Today has exclusively accessed the FIR registered in connection with the bus fire. The FIR was filed on the complaint of Sunil Kumar, a passenger travelling on the bus.

The FIR says that at around 11:30 pm, when the bus BR32PA8647 reached near kilometre 33 of the Noida-Agra route, passengers noticed a burning smell coming from the driver's cabin.

According to Sunil Kumar's complaint, some passengers informed the driver and conductor about the smell. The FIR says that the driver dismissed their concerns, saying that such a burning smell was common on the bus. It further alleges that the driver did not immediately stop the bus to check the issue and that the driver and conductor continued smoking bidis/cigarettes in the cabin.

Shortly afterwards, according to the FIR, flames suddenly erupted near the driver's seat.

Passengers began shouting and asking the driver to stop the bus. The FIR alleges that the driver and conductor initially refused to stop despite repeated requests from passengers and threatened them. By then, the fire had rapidly spread through the bus and thick smoke had filled the passenger area.

The driver and conductor fled the spot after the fire broke out. People at the scene tried to help passengers escape the burning bus. An attempt was made to use a fire extinguisher to put out the flames, but it did not work.

As voices could be heard coming from inside the bus, people used the fire extinguisher to break a windowpane in an attempt to rescue passengers.

PASSENGERS RECALL HORROR

A passenger travelling from Delhi to Mahoba said he was asleep when someone woke him up and alerted him about the fire. “We were sleeping. Someone came and woke us up, saying that the bus had caught fire. We got out and ran,” he said.

Recalling how he escaped, the passenger said there was barely any space to get out as the bus was filled with smoke. “There was no proper way to get out. There was a lot of smoke. Somehow, in our panic, we managed to get out,” he said.

He said passengers began getting out as soon as they were alerted, with each person trying to escape in whatever way possible. The passenger, who was seated at the very back of the bus, said the fire had started towards the front. “The fire started from the front. My seat was at the very back,” he said.

Another passenger, identified as Rinki Rajput, said she was travelling from Noida to her home in Rath when the bus caught fire. She said she was asleep when someone knocked on her gate and alerted her.

“I did not pick up any of my belongings. I did not even wear my shoes. I just picked up my phone and came out,” Rinki said.

She described the situation inside the bus as chaotic, saying passengers were pushing each other as they struggled to escape. “There was so much crowd that people were pushing each other. I somehow came out while being pushed around. Someone pulled me out. I don't remember much after that. There was smoke everywhere,” she said.

Rinki said the fire appeared to have started near the driver's seat. “It was on the front side, near the driver, where the driver sits,” she said.

She recalled that the smoke was so thick that passengers could barely see anything and were struggling to breathe. “There was so much smoke that nothing was visible. We were suffocating inside,” she said.

Rinki claimed that only a few people managed to escape, mostly amid the chaos and pushing. “There were many people behind me. They probably could not get out,” she said, adding that several people died in the incident.

UP CM SPEAKS TO VICTIMS' FAMILIES

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the road accident in Greater Noida and expressed condolences to the families of those who died. The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.

According to the Chief Minister's Office, Yogi Adityanath spoke to the families of the victims and directed officials to provide all possible assistance.

CM announced financial assistance for the families of the victims. The families of those killed in the accident will receive Rs 2 lakh each, while those injured will be provided Rs 50,000 each.

- Ends
With inputs from Arun Tyagi.