Eight people were killed and a dozen injured when a water tanker irrigating plants collided with it and overturned on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway here on Friday, police said.
Expressing grief over the loss of life in the Kannauj accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
According to the police, the accident took place in the Sakrava area at 2 pm when the private sleeper bus was going from Lucknow to Delhi.
“Eight passengers lost their lives in the accident, and around a dozen injured passengers are undergoing treatment at Saifai Medical College in Etawah district,” Kannauj Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Anand said.
He said that the rescued passengers were sent to their destination in another bus.
State Minister for Jal Shakti Swatandar Dev Singh, who was passing by at the time of the accident, stopped his convoy to rescue the injured and take them to the hospital.
“Senior police and administrative officials have reached the spot and instructions have been given to arrange the best treatment for the injured. This is an unfortunate incident. We should be more careful on the roads and follow traffic rules and safety measures,” Singh told PTI.
Quoting the conversation with the injured passenger, the minister said that the accident may have happened because the bus driver seemed to be asleep. PTI COR/KIS condoled the loss and the Prime Minister said, “I am saddened by the loss of life in the bus accident in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. May the injured get well soon. The local administration is helping the victims. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh to each of the deceased’s relatives from PMNRF and Rs. 50,000,” he wrote in a post on X.