Shahjahanpur: A truck laden with ballast overturned on a private bus on board devotees going from Sitapur to Purnagiri resulting in deaths 11 people and injury of 10 others on Saturday late at night, police said.
According to the police the incident happened under Khutar police station in Shahjahanpur district when a truck loaded with ballast stones hit the parked bus at a roadside dhaba and overturned on it, crushing the devotees to death.
Ashok Kumar Meena, SP, Shahjahanpur said, "Around 11 pm, we got the information that in the Khutar PS area, a bus was parked, devotees who were going to Purnagiri were sitting inside the bus and some devotees were having food at a dhaba. A truck lost control and turned turtle on top of the bus...total 11 people died and 10 were injured. All injured have been admitted to hospitals...".
The accident occurred when the bus stopped at a dhaba on Gola bypass road in Khutar area. During the time, a truck filled with stones first hit the bus and then overturned on it sparking hue and cry on the spot. The police rushed to the spot and tried to rescue devotees, who were badly trapped in the vehicle. After about three hours of rescue operation, 10 of them were evacuated while 11 died. The injured people were admitted to the medical college. Women and children were also included among the dead.
Locals said people living in Barajetha village of Sidhauli area of Sitapur district were going for darshan of Maa Purnagiri on Saturday night. They were traveling at the private bus which halted at a dhaba on Gola bypass road in Khutar area of Shahjahanpur to allow passengers to eat food there. Some people got down from the bus and reached the dhaba, while some others preferred sitting at the bus.
At about 11.20 pm, a truck laden with ballast hit the bus hard. Before anyone could understand anything, the truck overturned on the bus. Several passengers got buried between the vehicle and the gravel. Loud sounds of screams were heard after the accident. DM Umesh Pratap Singh and SP Ashok Kumar Meena also reached the spot around 12.50 in the night. Cranes were also engaged to rescue injured people and extricate bodies.
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