LUCKNOW: Three people were killed and around 40 others injured after a passenger bus travelling from Rajasthan to Bihar plunged into a nearly 40-foot-deep gorge after overturning on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway early Monday morning. Several children, including toddlers, were among those injured in the accident.The accident took place near Zero Point under the Para police station area, approximately 30 km from the Lucknow district headquarters. The luxury bus, bearing a Bihar registration number (BR 28 P 4332), was travelling from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan to Chhapra in Bihar, carrying passengers returning to their native places for the Chhath festival.According to preliminary information, a tyre burst is suspected to have caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle, following which the bus overturned and plunged into the deep gorge. The exact cause of the accident is being ascertained.Massive rescue operation launchedSoon after receiving information, a massive rescue operation was launched involving the local police, fire brigade personnel and two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). More than 50 police personnel were deployed at the accident site.Fire tenders from Alambagh, a rescue vehicle from Sarojini Nagar and a Multi-Disaster Rescue Vehicle (MDRV) from Hazratganj were also pressed into service.SDRF personnel entered the mangled bus and pulled out trapped passengers through its windows. The injured were placed on stretchers and transported to waiting ambulances.Several ambulances were deployed at the site, and the injured were rushed to Lok Bandhu Hospital and King George’s Medical University (KGMU) Trauma Centre for treatment.According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Jitendra Kumar, passengers were taken to the two hospitals, with 29 being shifted to Lok Bandhu Hospital and 13 to KGMU, as per the initial hospital allocation.The rescue operation was particularly challenging as several passengers, including young children, were trapped inside the overturned vehicle. Visuals from the accident site showed police personnel carrying injured children in their arms and rushing them to ambulances.Passengers were returning home for ChhathThe bus was operating between Bhiwadi in Rajasthan and Bihar and was reportedly being run by Shandilya Tour and Travels. Its owner, identified as Tuntun Shah, is reportedly from Gopalganj in Bihar.Passengers had reportedly paid around Rs 4,800 each for the journey. Many of them belonged to different districts of Bihar, including Chhapra, Gopalganj, Vaishali and Begusarai, while several passengers were also from Uttar Pradesh districts such as Maharajganj, Deoria and Azamgarh.Among those whose identities emerged during the initial rescue operation were Chandni from Vaishali and her two-year-old daughter Aarohi, three-year-old Sandhya, Balwinder (45) and Jagdish Ram (47) from Gopalganj, Pappu Tiwari (19) from Aurangabad, and Ramvilas (50) from Chhapra.Several passengers from Uttar Pradesh, including Abhishek (26) and Devalash (39) from Azamgarh, Shyamdev (24) from Maharajganj, and Sahil Nishad and Yogi from Deoria, were also among the injured.One of the deceased was identified as Shankar Rajak (63), a resident of Garhara in Begusarai, Bihar. The identities of the other victims were being established.Lucknow Police Commissioner Tarun Gauba visits injuredLucknow Police Commissioner Tarun Gauba visited the injured passengers at the hospital and took stock of their treatment and medical condition. He interacted with the injured and reviewed the arrangements being made for their medical care.Senior police and administrative officials also reached the accident site to supervise the rescue operation and ensure that all passengers were evacuated and shifted to hospitals without delay.CM Yogi takes cognisance, directs immediate reliefChief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the accident and directed senior officials to immediately reach the spot and expedite rescue and relief operations.He instructed the authorities to ensure that all injured passengers received proper and timely medical treatment. The Chief Minister also directed officials to remain in touch with the families of those affected and provide them with all possible assistance.Expressing concern over the incident, he wished the injured passengers a speedy recovery.The administration continued to coordinate rescue, medical assistance and identification efforts following the tragedy.
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