Ghaziabad: UP Roadways bus falls from Delhi Meerut Expressway after driver lose control, 20 injured
The incident was first spotted around 4.30 pm by one of the highway patrol staff of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and they alerted their control room for help
About 20 passengers were left injured after the UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) bus in which they were travelling fell into about 15-20 feet deep pit after crashing into the barriers near Masuri on Thursday evening.
Police said the incident took place at Delhi-Meerut-Expressway (DME) and the bus had 42 passengers on board.
According to officials at UPSRTC, the bus started from Meerut depot and was headed to Kaushambi in Ghaziabad when the incident happened near the Noorpur underpass area of the expressway stretch in Ghaziabad.
“All the passengers were rushed to hospitals in Ghaziabad and the departments will help them out in treatment. The driver of the bus is stated to have suffered a medical condition, a probable heart stroke, after which he lost control. But, despite his condition, he displayed a lot of sense to control the bus and did not let it overturn while it was slipping down the expressway,” said Kesri Nandan Chaudhary, regional manager of UPSRTC.
“The driver identified as Pradeep Kumar, and the conductor, Subodh Kumar, suffered severe injuries and were sent immediately for treatment along with other passengers,” Chaudhary added after he visited the incident site on Thursday.
The incident was first spotted around 4.30 pm by one of the highway patrol staff of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and they alerted their control room for help.
“Within a couple of minutes, our highway patrol and ambulances along with other vehicles rushed to the spot and rescued the passengers trapped in the bus. Many of them suffered injuries to the head, legs and other parts of the body. Some may have suffered fractures too. The bus driver seemed to have suffered some heart stroke-like condition and he was frothing,” said Arun Tomar, a first responder from NHAI’s highway patrol who rushed to the incident site.
The police officials also rushed to the spot and said that the bus was coming from Meerut to Ghaziabad and the incident happened about 5-6kms ahead of the Masuri police station.
“We will inquire the exact cause of the incident. So far, no casualties have been reported and there is no report that the bus suffered a hit from any other passing vehicle as such,” said Naresh Kumar, ACP of Masuri Circle.
Those injured during the incident said that the bus initially hit a pole on the expressway and then turned towards the side crash barriers. “I boarded the bus from Meerut and slept. My hand was out of the window. I could remember that the bus initially hit something on the central verge and I could feel plants scraping my hand. Suddenly passengers started to shout and within seconds the bus crashed on the crash barriers and went down the expressway,” said Mohammad Sadiq, an injured bus passenger who was travelling from Meerut and headed to Kota, Rajasthan.